DxD: Devils' Cross
by LanceSennin
Summary: Issei Hyoudou tries out for the audition of a band called DxD after getting encouraged to do so by his two best friends; what kind of adventures await him when he gets accepted? Join him along with Kiba, Vali and Saji as they rock the world with their music as well as make the girls that they all love happy! Purely AU; non-supernatural; Issei x Harem, obviously. (Irina is the main)
1. Arc 1: Creation, Life 00: The Flyer

_**Another fanfic from me, guys! Look, I know there is still Dragon's Charm for me to work on, but I didn't want to ignore this story idea before it would disappear from my mind completely... this time, we're going full AU, guys! There will be no supernatural world in this fic; no angels, devils, fallen angels, dragons, etc. All of the events here takes place in the real world, modern-day Earth. Well, maybe not 2018, but somewhere near this year. The characters in Highschool DxD are still present in this story, but each will have different roles. I trust that you guys will bear with this fic, because things are really AU in the story idea that I came up with... as seen in the summary, this will be a band fic taking place in the Highschool DxD universe, so it's gonna be a bit hard adjusting... anyway, with that being said, let's head on to the first chapter of this story!**_

 _ **P.S. The poll regarding whether you guys want Raynare to be brought back to life is still up... will end when I release the newest chapter of the Dragon's Charm... the votes are dominating in one option, and it's well likely that that option will win either way, so I'm finishing it early.**_

"Normal Talking"

'Thoughts'

 _Flashbacks / Songs_

 **"Talking through microphone" / Actions**

 _ **Disclaimer: I don't own Highschool DxD or any of its characters...**_

* * *

"Man, I'm so bored!" shouted a boy as he was on his way back home from school. He was just finished with another boring day of classes that he almost fell asleep at one point; he was also trying to find a way on how he would stay occupied despite not liking to go to school in the first place.

His name was Issei Hyoudou, aged 15 years old. He was the son of Kazumi Hyoudou and Taiji Hyoudou, who are both working under the same company that produces cellphones. As a result, his family wasn't too rich nor too poor and they could find everything that they needed under a two-story house. He also had a younger sister named Koneko, whom he loves dearly and would do anything just to make her smile or laugh. He was currently a 2nd year, middle school student in an average school located near the outskirts of Kuoh, which was the reason why he was so bored right now, and during the past days that he spent studying. Issei was an average-level student, able to balance his time in school with his time to himself; there were times that he tried doing extra-curricular activities in his school, but nothing really caught his interest throughout the three years he spent in middle school.

'I can't wait to go hang out with Irina and Xenovia again when I get home! It's been almost a week since we've spent some time together!' he thought to himself, a sudden burst of energy going through his body before thousands of books suddenly appeared in his mind. 'Oh, that's if I get to finish all my homework first...' he said in his thoughts out of despair.

He suddenly knelt on the ground and started to cry in earnest, "There's gotta be something for me to do while I'm studying like hell in school!" Anime-tears filled his eyes as he cried. "I know that my time in middle school is ending this year, but please help me find something —"

 **SLAP!**

A yellow sheet of paper hitting his face almost sounded like a slap that cut him off his words. He immediately removed the thin piece of paper, holding it in his right hand and he started looking around, trying to find the culprit who was responsible for throwing something that nearly hit him in his eyes.

"Hey!" he shouted. "Who the hell threw this trash towards me?!"

Nobody answered.

Sighing in frustration, he felt the wind blowing a bit stronger than it was before, and so he assumed that it was the wind that got the paper flying towards his face in the first place. He stood up from the ground and brushed off the dust that nearly stained his uniform. Just when he was about to crumple the paper he was holding however, he noticed that there was something written on it that got him to furrow his eyebrows in curiosity.

'There's something written here,' he said to himself, unfurling the paper in his hands as he begun to read:

 **JOIN THE MUSIC!**

 **THE BAND IS CURRENTLY LOOKING FOR ONE VOCALIST!**

 _Hey there, young fellow! Do you have a taste for music? Do you have a good singing voice? Well, why don't you put that to the test by going to the audition on Friday night, June 17? You're only required to bring yourself and a copy of the piece you're going to sing, by the way._

 _The audition is open to young boys aged 14-16, most especially students who can sing at a top-notch level! Audition will start on Friday at 5:00 P.M. and will continue for the next weeks after that until we have who we're looking for. It's taking place near Mimori St. at the big black apartment with two garage doors. Just ring on the bell and I'll come to get you! In case you're accepted into the band, our practice is held three days a week with free food and accommodation, as well as a free ride back to your home! Did you get all that? Well, we'll see you in two days! Don't be late!_

 **LET'S TUNE THIS UP!**

 **-FaLLENLeaDer9000-**

"An audition for a band?" he asked loudly, although nobody was around him. "This sounds interesting, although I need to have a look at that apartment this flyer is talking about, it might be a fluke... I've seen enough bands that fail 'cause of damn flukes..." he checked the time on his watch afterwards, checking if he had enough time to do some exploring before he went home.

"Well, it's still 1:56 and it's not that hot around here... I could go check out if there really is a building near Mimori street... I know for a fact that that street is not far around here..." he said, folding the paper carefully before tucking it inside his pocket as he walked off, starting his little journey towards his designated location.

* * *

'Well, one thing's for sure... there really is a black apartment there...' Issei thought to himself as he walked back towards the neighborhood where his house was located. He just went to Mimori St. about half an hour earlier to check if there really was a black apartment with two garage doors, and he did find one just near Kuoh's public cemetery. To be sure, he tiptoed a bit closer towards the place to check if there was some kind of rehearsal going on and as soon as he heard the sound of drums beating and cymbals clashing, the band was no fluke and it was real.

That meant... there was really an audition happening in two days at the said apartment!

'Question is... should I try out for the band?' he asked himself, thinking about what he should do. If he managed to successfully join, he'd have a good pastime while having to maintain his studies, and Issei won't get bored anymore. In all honesty, he had a good singing voice that managed to take him to the first place of a local singing competition back when he was a child, while getting cheered on by his family and friends. The problem was that he didn't know to himself if he had the confidence to even show up at the audition that was due only a few days from now; if it was a singing competition, he'd have no problem joining, but it was different now.

It was an audition to join a band, and that was different from a singing competition.

Being in a band meant meeting fellow music players, recording singles, releasing albums, and plenty of other things which couldn't be seen or experience doing while in a singing competition. But there were also some bands who weren't as big as the ones playing during this generation, because it wasn't easy to make a name for yourself in the musical world. One wrong move and it could be your downfall, which was what held the boy back in his decision to go to the audition this Friday. He was afraid that something might go wrong in any case that he joins the band, but that was a problem for another time. Right now, he was back at the front door of his home without even realizing it.

'Hmm, since when did I get here?' he thought to himself, looking around him before he shrugged it off and headed inside, and for some reason, the door was unlocked.

"I'm home!" his voice rang out to all four corners of the house as he went inside, making himself comfortable in his own home. Almost immediately, a white-haired girl wearing a cat-shaped hairpin who was sitting on the couch eating sweets suddenly stood up and ran towards the boy, wrapping him in a tight embrace. This was none other than Koneko Hyoudou, his younger sister, about a year younger than him. She was just a year behind him in terms of education, which made it hardly look like she was his imouto at all, despite the large difference in their height. The young girl had a habit of sitting on his lap every time he was at home, even if there were visitors at their house. It made her look more like a possessive sister than a loving one, which is just what she's trying to show by giving him some of the sweets she always eats.

"Welcome home, onii-chan," she said, smiling slightly before she separated after a few seconds as Issei bowed down for a bit so that his sister can give him a kiss on the cheek. "Have a cookie, onii-chan..." Koneko took one of the chocolate chip cookies she was eating on a tray at the small table in front of the couch before giving it to her brother, who accepted and ate it without any hesitation, smiling widely afterwards.

"Oh, hello son!" Taiji Hyoudou exclaimed from the neighboring couch where Koneko was sitting earlier. "I didn't see you come in, sorry about that..." he took the remote control from the small table just beside him and turned down the volume of the television, which is probably why he didn't hear his son come in. "So, how was your school for the day?" he asked as Issei dropped his briefcase and sat on the couch with his younger sister sitting on his lap, continuing on eating sweets.

"Eh, the usual, tou-san..." he replied, shrugging his shoulders before he heard his father snicker. "It's not my fault if our classes are boring as hell... don't blame me for not getting interested with my school at all... even if it's my last year in middle-school... where's kaa-san, by the way?"

"I know... and your mother's off to buy food for dinner..." he said, looking back at the television. "So, nothing really interesting happened to you today?" he asked while raising an eyebrow.

"Um..." he hesitated to tell his father about the flyer that he had stumbled upon earlier, because he really wasn't sure if he was going to attend the audition in the first place. He didn't want to tell him about the band that was searching for a vocalist and then come to the decision of choosing not to go the audition afterwards. It would make him look like he was just seeking attention from his own parents, and he didn't want that. He'll have to think of a solid decision before he would tell his parents about the flyer and the audition.

Finally, he managed to blurt out his next words.

"No, nothing!" he said with a childish grin before he turned his attention towards his younger sister. "Uh, Koneko, can you move off my lap?" he asked his sister. "Onii-chan needs to change his clothes back in his room and I can't do that while you're still sitting on my lap..." he tried not to sound rude, and he sighed in relief that the young girl nodded stiffly and moved to his side, allowing him to stand back up.

"Well, I'm gonna go change my clothes, tou-san!" he said, picking up his briefcase and turned to face the staircase that headed to the second floor of their home. "I'm gonna go and see if Irina and Xenovia are willing to hang out since I'm so bored..." he was about to head upstairs when his sister's voice stopped him in his tracks.

"Be sure to feed Ddraig when you step out of the house, okay?" Taiji said to his son, who was standing just at the base of the stairs. Ddraig was the family dog, who was an Okita breed, and he has been a part of the Hyoudou household for almost 3 years now. They got him from a pet store and Issei was the one who came up with his name after watching an anime show about dragons, wherein one of them, a red one, to be exact, was named 'Ddraig'. His sister, Taiji, and Kazumi had no problem with it, as long as Issei would be willing to be independent and take care of him regularly. Ddraig was a reddish-brown dog who was a bit playful _and_ noisy at times, and he seemed to have a strange fetish for sniffing women's chests, as shown whenever Kazumi or Koneko would crouch down and pat his head.

"No problem, tou-san!" he answered back, before he heard Koneko's voice.

"Irina-neechan and Xenovia-neechan are waiting for you in the backyard, Onii-chan..." she said in her usual voice, sucking on a lollipop that she pulled out of nowhere. "They're waiting for you right there for about half an hour... you better hurry..."

'Crap,' Issei thought, rushing up the stairs towards his bedroom, which was the second room down the hallway to the right. 'I gotta hurry! Otherwise, Irina would kill me!' he continued in his thoughts, finding a pair of clothes that he would use for the afternoon. While he was putting his shorts on, he looked outside the window that showed their house's backyard. Down below were a chestnut-haired girl whose girl was tied into twin-tails and another girl who had blue hair with a green fringe on the right side of her head. Both of them were Issei's childhood friends whom he had known ever since he was a child, and they were people whom he trusted above anyone else, along with his own family. Unfortunately, the two of them studied in an all-girls school that was different from his own school, making the only time that they could hang out with another was their time at home.

'Done! Now I gotta hurry downstairs!' he thought frantically, rushing out of his room and down the stairs and towards the back door of his home.

* * *

"Come on, Xenovia! We should go and check if Ise-kun's already back home!" the chestnut-haired girl spoke out, trying to pull her friend by the arm towards the back door of the Hyoudou residence. It had been like this for the past few minutes, but the girl named Xenovia just remained in her place, preferring to wait for a certain brown-haired boy to come out from his home instead of going inside his house directly.

"Irina, it's rude to just storm inside his house! It's preferable to stay out here and wait for Issei!" she shot her friend down, making the girl named Irina pout in sadness. "If you want to go inside, go ahead... I won't stop you in your attempt to marry Issei and have babies with him..." her next statement made the chestnut-haired girl suddenly blush crimson as steam started coming out of her ears before she squealed like a lost child.

"Xenovia! You can't just blurt out things like that all of a sudden!" she cried, covering her blushing face.

"What? You said that you wanted to marry him, remember?"

The twin-tailed girl covered her friend's mouth with her hand as she put up a finger to her lips in silence. "I know that, but you don't have to say it out loud! Other people might hear and that's the last thing that I want to happen, Xenovia!"

"Huh? That's strange, I've read that weddings are supposed to be known by many people and that all friends are relatives are to join..."

That was the time that Irina facepalmed at Xenovia's lack of common sense, and at the same time, the back door opened all of a sudden, as Issei Hyoudou made his way towards his house's backyard, dressed in a simple red t-shirt and dark green shorts. Panting slightly, he wiped the sweat off his forehead and neck with his own handkerchief as he smiled embarrassingly.

"Sorry for making you two wait..." he apologized through his embarrassed smile. "I took a detour before going home..."

"Ise-kun!" cried Irina in happiness as she let go of Xenovia and ran towards the brown-haired boy, hugging him tightly before she let go of him after only a few seconds and gave him a deep kiss on the cheek. In an almost-incredible display, her cheerful aura suddenly turned into a sad one. "Mou, why did you take so long, Ise-kun?!" she continued in a sad voice, nearing tears. "Are you cheating on your future wife?!" she pointed her finger accusingly at him, causing Issei to freeze in his place.

Irina Shidou was Issei's childhood friend for as long as he could remember, having first met her at the age of five, when they entered the same kindergarten. Irina seemed to be the embodiment of joy, because she had an upbeat, charismatic, and optimistic personality, but she can also be sad at times, which was an unpleasant sight to see for any individual whom she saw as a friend or family. Since then, the two have been almost inseparable friends, always looking out for one another like siblings, but that wasn't the case. Some people have said that they look like brother and sister, but that wasn't how Irina looked at herself and Issei. In all honesty, she had feelings for him, which first sprouted during the time when he took her back to her home after she tripped on a rock, landing on her two knees and causing her to sustain wounds on both. Her feelings have only grown ever since through the years, until it reached its pinnacle and at the age of 13, she confessed her true feelings towards him. It made her the happiest girl in the world for a few seconds that he felt the same way as her, and she that was when she gave him her first kiss, which was also the first for him.

During that day, he had made her a promise that he would marry her someday, making her cry tears of happiness that time. Right now, they simply remained as best friends which was on the borderline of being official lovers due to the fact that they were still in middle school. During this time, many boys have tried asking the twin-tailed girl out but she never gave in, and the same happened to Issei, regarding girls. Both Issei and Irina's parents eventually knew about their _little_ attraction towards each other, and they had no problem with it, because they saw goodness in the two youngsters' hearts that they won't leave each other's sides. However, they had told their children that they would only be allowed to date once they reach high school, which was now only a year away from happening. Once they had finished middle school, he'd ask for Irina's permission to date her and they would be one step closer to fulfilling his promise.

"No, no, I'm not!" he immediately denied, shaking both his hands and head furiously. "I told you, I just took a detour, Irina..." he took a step forward and brushed some rogue hair strands away from her beautiful face. "Besides, I would never cheat on you, even you know that... right?"

Almost immediately, her demeanor changed again, switching to a happy one. "Heehee, Ise-kun is such a sweetheart!" she said, her eyes transforming into small hearts as she hugged the boy again.

After they separated, Issei turned his attention to the blue-haired girl that was approachin, g them. "Oh hey, Xenovia!" he exclaimed as soon as he saw his other childhood friend. "How long have you been — MRRMRRM!" he had been cut off from his own words when the girl didn't even listen to his words and just hugged him tightly. Unlike other hugs though, hers appeared to have more strength, because Issei was slowly suffocating with how tightly she was hugging him.

"It's good to see you again, Issei..." she said with a small smile, unable to prevent the blush that appeared on her cheeks which was thankfully hidden by her face being buried into his neck. Like Irina, Xenovia Quarta was another childhood friend of Issei whom he knew at a young age, meeting her when the former moved to Japan with her guardian, Griselda Quarta, from Vatican. The girl was raised by the Catholic church all throughout her childhood, resulting her to lack common sense even in the most basic of topics, and she was also rather blunt and bold when it comes to showing her intentions. Irina and her have been friends through their families' involvement with the church, resulting in Xenovia having her first friend in Japan many years ago. Upon first meeting Issei, she was rather cold and serious around him because of the fact that she didn't trust anyone who didn't have any involvement with the church, which eventually warmed up as time passed, learning that the boy was more than he seemed to be, having been touched with the kindness he has shown her throughout the years that they've been friends.

If Xenovia was being honest with herself, she also had feelings for the boy she was hugging right now; she had tried many times to ignore what she was feeling since she was aware of Irina and Issei's attraction towards one another and she didn't want to hurt her friend, or make it look like she was going to steal the boy away, but no matter what she does, her feelings couldn't be ignored.

Upon learning that she can't bury what she felt, Xenovia resorted to living with her undeniable crush on Issei ignored in favor of their friendship. However, even that didn't save her from falling for the boy even more, and the blue-haired girl blames herself for being vulnerable to such emotions like love. She simply shows her affections towards Issei in the form of hugs; very tight ones, to be exact, that the brown-haired boy could feel his bones crushing every time Xenovia hugs him.

"Xenovia! You're killing him!" cried Irina in panic.

"Eh?" the blue-haired girl asked, oblivious to what she was doing and looking over towards Irina, letting go of Issei in the process. Upon seeing her friend sigh in relief, Xenovia turned back to face the boy she was hugging earlier, who was already on his knees, coughing repeatedly as he took in deep breaths. She then realized her mistake, flashing a rather _cute_ smile towards him, showing her regret. "Sorry, Issei... I didn't realize you were already choking for your life."

The boy sighed and simply nodded to show that he accepted her apology. Quite surprisingly, both Issei and Irina knew that Xenovia was romantically interested in the boy, despite having feelings for each other. The chestnut-haired girl wasn't really surprised that her friend from Vatican also had feelings for the boy she had a crush on, and she wasn't really affected, knowing for a fact that Issei was the kind of person who can make others like him even though he's unaware of it; she knew this because that's just how Irina was drawn to him in the first place. However, the question on whether he would accept Xenovia's feelings or not rested on Issei himself, and the twin-tailed girl could only hope that her soon-to-be lover won't do anything idiotic or reckless.

On the other hand, Issei was deeply conflicted with what he should do regarding this problem. He had just found out about his blue-haired friend's feelings a few months ago and he was already having problems regarding it, despite Irina being completely calm about that topic. Perhaps it was because she assumed that he would also be taking Xenovia as a wife in the future?

Issei didn't know what to do.

He was sure that he had feelings for Irina, but he didn't know if he also had feelings for Xenovia because all he's thought of her through the years was a close friend, if not best friend. There would be no problem even if Issei decided to go out with both Xenovia and Irina at the same time because multiple wives were allowed in the country, on the simple condition that a woman can leave her partner anytime she wanted to. Despite this fact, he still didn't know if he should give himself and Xenovia a shot at being together, mainly because he had no idea how would Irina take it, whether she would be angry or not. If she wasn't going to put up with it, he'd have to confront Xenovia and flat-out tell the truth that he wasn't going to date her too. In any case that his childhood friend was fine with it, he had another problem though.

He also didn't want to look like a pervert just by going out with two girls at the same time. Sure, having multiple wives or in other words, a harem was acceptable in Japan, but it made Issei a bit uncomfortable to think that he could be considered perverted for the reason that he had two girlfriends. It was a known fact to almost all of his relatives and friends that he was extremely shy when it comes to girls teasing him, but he didn't want to be called a pervert. Maybe when the time comes that he'll finally accept that fact, he can make both of his childhood friends happy and treat them like queens.

But that wasn't the case at the moment.

After he was helped up to his feet by Irina, Issei began to brush some dirt off his clothes and looked around for a few times. "So why are you two been waiting out here?" he asked, turning his attention towards Irina. "Koneko told me that she led you two here about half an hour ago..."

The girl shrugged her shoulders before a slight blush appeared on her face. "No reason, to be honest..." she replied. "I just wanted to see you again since it's been nearly a week since we last saw each other, and Xenovia wanted to come along too... you know our school, always the strict-type, giving homework often every now and then," she snickered, crossing her arms and looking to the side. "It's a good thing that I managed to finish our homework for the day in less than an hour, so that's how I'm here right now!"

"Oh, I thought you were going to tell Issei that you wanted to go inside his house and —" before the blue-haired girl could even blurt out another statement that lacked common sense, Irina clamped her hand over Xenovia's mouth, successfully muffling her voice.

Irina shot her friend a knowing look before turning her attention back to Issei, who looked confused over what Xenovia was about to tell them a while ago. "Anyway, how was your day, Ise-kun?" she asked happily. "Our day wasn't that interesting, except for the fact that we saw two boys sneaking around the school premises and probably hoping for a peek at the girls..."

"Eh, the usual..." he said while shrugging his shoulders. "Boring like hell, but I managed to pull through the day, and that's what matters..." An image of the flyer that flew towards his face about an hour ago appeared in his mind and he subconsciously tapped the inside of his shorts' pocket to feel if it was still there, and he smiled slightly, thinking of this as a good opportunity. He brought out the flyer and slowly unfolded it behind his back while keeping his attention focused on Irina and Xenovia.

'I could use their advice right now...' he thought, unfurling the paper behind him.

"Hey, Irina... Xenovia?" he said, earning the two girls' attention. "I need your advice on this..." he handed over the flyer to the chestnut-haired girl, who raised an eyebrow as she began to read what was printed on it along with her friend. "What do you two have to say on that?"

After Irina finished reading the whole flyer only a few seconds later, she looked at Issei with a dumbfounded expression as her eyes slowly widened.

"Y-You're planning to go to an audition to join a band, Ise-kun?" she asked.

"Well, I don't really have a solid decision on whether I should really go or not... I mean, I went to the apartment that that flyer was talking about earlier, which was why I got home a little late... I heard some drums being played, but I don't know if I really should..."

That was when the girl marched towards him and clenched her fists tightly in front of her. "You should join, Ise-kun!" she exclaimed happily. "You're good at singing, so you should be fitting for a vocalist! You've already won the local competition twice, and that's a good sign that you could get accepted! Who knows? Maybe one day, when you and your band becomes famous, we could go around the whole world and go to different places, and eat different food, and you'll be able to sing in front of many people! That'll be loads of fun! Besides, you said that your school is boring, right? This could e the perfect way for you to be happy and release your stress!"

He scratched his hair for a few times. "I know that, Irina..." he answered with a sigh. "But, I don't know... the whole band might just be a fluke and I may get tricked... and I'm not even sure if I get accepted or not... the competitions a few years back are way different than joining a band... you have to be extremely _fitting_ in order to join."

Xenovia stepped forward and smiled at Issei. "If that's the case, then Irina and I would be glad to accompany you, Issei."

"W-What?" he asked, not sure if he heard the blue-haired girl right.

"That's a great idea, Xenovia!" said Irina, hugging her friend for a few seconds before turning back to face the boy. "Ise-kun, I'm with Xenovia! We'll just go with you to Mimori St. and cheer you on once you go for the audition... if it's just a fluke like what you're worried about, we'll deal with the one behind this together!" she finished by slamming her palm with her fist. "So... what do you say, Ise-kun?"

Issei was speechless for a few seconds as he couldn't blurt out anything from his mouth, but when he did, it wasn't the answer that Irina nor Xenovia was hoping for.

"I... I don't know... I'm kind of nervous, Irina... I mean, a band is way bigger than joining a singing competition..." he muttered, weighing his possible options.

The twin-tailed girl slowly ruffled his hair while giggling softy. "Jeez, Ise-kun sure gets worried about the simplest of things..." she said before wrapping him in her arms, hugging him as she nuzzled against his chest. "It'll be okay, Ise-kun... Xenovia and I will be there to support and cheer you on... if you want, I can give you a 'good luck' kiss before you try out... we can also scream at the top of our lungs while you sing... right, Xenovia?" she looked at her friend, with Issei following her gaze.

"That is correct," replied Xenovia in a simple way, nodding.

"See?" Irina turned back towards the boy as she let go of him, taking a step backwards while she smiled cutely. "So, what do you say, Ise-kun? Are you going to join or not? We'll support whatever decision you make!" she finished with an enthusiastic tone, although it could be pointed out that she was hoping for him to agree and go to the audition this coming Friday. It was as if she was saying that trying out for the band was the best thing to do.

And then at last, he finally sighed after thinking it over thoroughly.

"Okay."

"What?" Irina and Xenovia asked in unison.

"I said okay... I'll go to the audition..." he repeated, smiling in the end.

"YAY!" cried Irina, hugging Issei again, burying her face into his chest as if it was her last day in the world. "I knew that you'd accept, Ise-kun! Now, all that's left to do is to go to the black apartment at Mimori St. this Friday, then! We'll be there to cheer you on, Ise-kun! You can count on us!" she turned her head to look at Xenovia and beckoned her with her hand to come join in the hug between childhood friends. Although reluctant, the blue-haired girl smiled and hugged both her friends, surprisingly not as tight as when she was hugging Issei earlier. Issei Hyoudou was glad that he had friends like Irina and Xenovia, as they always had his back whatever the situation was, and they would always help him out, just like how he'd help them out when they're troubled.

After about a minute, they let go of each other and Irina gave her crush a quick kiss on the cheek, making him blush crimson in response. "Ise-kun is so cute when he's shy!" she teased, giggling at the face the boy made while Xenovia simply smiled while trying her best to resist kissing Issei on the cheek as well. The moment she stopped making fun of the brown-haired boy, Irina spoke once more in her usual tone.

"So, do you know the name of the band that's looking for a vocalist, by the way? There was nothing shown in the paper, Ise-kun."

"What do you mean?" he replied, raising an eyebrow.

This time, it was Xenovia who spoke up. "You went to the apartment that was described in the yellow flyer, correct?" she asked him, and Issei nodded. "Then didn't you ask the owner of that apartment what was the name of the band? Surely, he must have told you over a quick cup of tea."

Both Issei and Irina sweat-dropped at Xenovia's statement, before regaining their composure a few seconds later.

"I didn't go inside the place, okay?" he said, trying to clear up the blue-haired girl's mistake. "I didn't even knock on the door earlier... but I did saw a poster at the garage... I think the name was mentioned there..." he muttered, rubbing his forehead a few times so that he could remember what he saw earlier. "What was it again? Let's see... there was a red devil in the poster... picture of Jesus... a weird-looking angel with black wings... a cross... and... OH, NOW I REMEMBER!"

"You did?" Irina asked with hope lingering in her tone.

He slammed his fist into his palm, grinning victoriously. "Hell yeah! I remember it now... the band's name is DxD!"

"DxD?" said the chestnut-haired girl, looking at Xenovia for a few seconds before turning back to Issei. "What does that even mean?"

"Irina, it's actually an acronym, from what I recall... it means 'Devils' Cross'."

* * *

 _ **Harem: Irina, Xenovia, Rossweisse, Ravel, Raynare, Asia, Serafall, Murayama, Katase, Koneko (It won't be incest, dudes!)**_

 _ **Potential Members: Rias, Akeno, Sona, Tsubasa, Reya, Tomoe, Kiyome Abe, Le Fay, Kiryuu, Elmenhilde, Ingvild (Issei's queen in canon), Kunou**_

 _ **If you want to know more about the characters and their roles in this story, join our server that has the link below:**_

 _ **Discord link: [** **discord . gg / xEApPAS]**_

 _ **Leave a kind review if you can!**_

 _ **Goodbye... and good night! BANG! *too sweet gesture***_

 _ **-Lance**_


	2. Life 01: My Angel

_**Here is chapter 2 of the Devils' Cross fic! I didn't really expect the first chapter to get so much attention already, and I sorta expected the less views and follows/faves. Anyway, last chapter, Issei came across a yellow flyer saying that a band needed a vocalist, and through encouragement from Irina and Xenovia, he was able to come to a decision, which was to join the band. How will that exactly play out in this chapter? Who's the person behind the flyer and the band itself? Will he get accepted or not? You'll find out as you read the fic, guys! Before that, though... keep in mind that with this new chapter published, I'm getting back to working on Dragon's Charm and then after that, I'll be working on this fic again. It's just an alternate turn of writing chapters guys! Now let's get on with the reviews that were left last chapter!**_

 _ **LarryTheCableGuy123: LOL.**_

 _ **The Quotable Patella: Exactly... just enjoy the harem!**_

 _ **ItsEizanAgain: Well, I hope you like the song in this chapter then.**_

 ** _Wargame-sama: She's adopted, simple as that._**

 ** _Dragon Rider 66: Yes, there's a story behind that... and I believe I also told you my reasons regarding harems in Japan in the server..._**

 ** _Password: Hmm, I'll think about it..._**

 ** _autor godz: It's DxD... just enjoy it. But if you want the reason, send me a PM._**

 ** _Riatsu: Always an honor to read your reviews... I hope you like this chapter dude._**

 ** _Malluz: Now!_**

"Normal Talking"

'Thoughts'

 _Flashbacks / Songs_

 **"Talking through microphone" / Actions**

 _ **Disclaimer: I don't own Highschool DxD or any of its characters... the song in this chapter is also not mine!**_

* * *

"Devils' Cross?" asked Irina, furrowing her eyebrows in confusion and thinking about the name of the band that Issei just told her and Xenovia. "What does that even mean, Ise-kun?"

"Even I don't know, Irina..." he replied, shrugging his shoulders. "Although it seems like it has something to do with religion... because like what I mentioned earlier, I saw a picture of Jesus and a cross there."

"Then they must be playing songs of the church, then!" Xenovia piped in, snapping her fingers in realization. "I have to take a closer look at this place..." she then tried walking away to go towards Mimori St. only for Issei to grab her by her shirt and prevent her from going anywhere...

"You're not going anywhere, Xenovia... not with your lack of common sense leading you astray..." he then pulled her back towards Irina's side and sent her a knowing look afterwards, causing her to forget all about her intention to go and check out the place where the so-called 'DxD' band was about to have its auditions on Friday. Seeing that she finally stood frozen in her place, Issei continued in his words. "Anyway, we better talk about what time we're going to meet up on Friday, because the audition starts at 5 o'clock in the afternoon."

Irina thought about his words for a few moments, raising her hand up to her chin in deep thought. After about ten seconds, she snapped her fingers and began to speak, immediately getting both Xenovia and Issei's attention. "Our classes end on 2:30 in the afternoon, Ise-kun... usually we go home after 12:30, but we have an extra subject every Tuesday and Friday, which is our English Specialization class... you remember that, right? The one where Xenovia's the top of the class?" she said with a wink.

"Oh yeah, I do..." he muttered before rubbing the back of his head in response. "If I remember, Xenovia is the top student in that subject because she came from Vatican, right? And her English is very good, from what I recall..." he looked over towards the blue-haired girl, who nodded in response. "So, what were you trying to say, Irina?" he turned back to his childhood friend.

"Well, since our classes still end way before the start of the audition, me and Xenovia will wait for you to get ready then... you won't be taking long in school, right?" she asked as he nodded. "That's good! We'll have time for you to practice the song you're going to sing for the audition! Won't that be exciting?!" she continued with her eyes sparkling.

"I guess so..." he muttered, shrugging his shoulders. "So I guess we got a plan, then? Because my school's gonna dismiss all the classes at exactly 1:00 in the afternoon so... what do you want me to do while I wait for you two?" However, before Irina could even speak, Issei had cut her off. "Let me guess, you want to tell me to practice on my own until you two arrive, right? And also not to waste my voice too much... am I correct?"

"Heehee," she said with a cute grin. "Looks like you really know my choice of words, Ise-kun!"

"What do you expect? We've been friends ever since kindergarten... of course, I'd get used to what you usually say around me..." he said, shrugging once again.

"Ise, I have a suggestion, if you don't mind..." Xenovia spoke up, talking for the first time in minutes. "It's regarding your audition for the band."

The boy looked at his other childhood friend with a warm smile. "Sure, Xenovia... what do you have in mind?"

"Aside from your talent in singing, I recall that you also have some skill in playing a guitar, right?" Issei nodded. "Since you have one of your own, from what I remember, why not use both your guitar and sing at the same time? That would increase your chances of getting accepted, and I do believe that some singers have also played guitars during performances."

"Another great idea, Xenovia!" Irina cheered, hugging her blue-haired friend tightly for a few seconds before letting go. "You may be clueless about obvious things most of the time, but you sure do give wonderful ideas in exchange!" she continued, slapping Xenovia's arm lightly while laughing, while the latter just snickered, hiding an obvious blush that was creeping up on her face due to embarrassment. "Anyway, you should do what Xenovia's trying to say, Ise-kun... not only you'll have increased chances in getting to join the band..." she then walked closer towards him.

"You'll also look _hotter_ while playing a guitar, Ise-kun..." she whispered huskily into his ear, making him blush deeper. This was quite expected from the girl's attitude, because as time passed greatly, another growing trait of Irina Shidou was that she was becoming more and _more_ bolder when it came to showing her feelings towards Issei. Ever since the two have confessed that they had feelings for one another, the twin-tailed girl took things a bit further by teasing him whenever she had the chance, or perhaps, by kissing him during the most unexpected situations. Since they weren't allowed to officially go out yet, Irina limits doing these kinds of things and only does so whenever she was alone with her love of her life, or only when Xenovia is around.

However, due to getting teased so many times throughout the past few years that they've been on the borderline of a relationship, Issei knew just how to respond to her lines and make Irina embarrassed in return. She may be cheerful and energetic, but she could still get easily embarrassed.

Issei suddenly smirked and grabbed Irina by her back, catching her by surprise as he pulled her closer towards him that their faces were nearly touching and their eyes were locked onto each other. She blushed at how close they were to each other before he spoke in a low tone.

"Do you want me to remind you of what happened between us when you confessed to me?" he teased back, immediately making the girl blush at his words. Yes, this was her one weakness in teasing, because she was the one who became honest with her feelings first, as well as because of the fact that she nearly fainted that time...

 **Flashback**

 _Everyone at school already considered them a couple back then, and the way their relationship had grown would make it appear that they actually were. Ultimately, it was just an illusion, a cauldron of unresolved feelings and unspoken emotions. But that didn't matter today. Today was the day that Irina was finally going to tell Issei what she felt for him. She had been hiding her feelings for years now, and throughout that whole time, she wasn't able to tell anything because she was afraid of losing her friendship with her childhood friend. But luckily for her, Xenovia has always been there to encourage her to be honest with her feelings and now that they were in the first year of their middle-school, Irina finally had come to her decision._

 _The day went by an unusually fast pace, but that was exactly what Irina wanted. Although it was only the first day of school, she wanted to be through with it immediately, because Xenovia and her had enrolled in an all-girls' school, and as a result, she couldn't see Issei anytime she wanted anymore. Back then, they could talk to each other almost anytime they wanted because they were classmates. There was nothing else in her mind that day, except for her plan to go to Issei's home and tell him the truth; she didn't even bother paying attention to all of her classes because she was too preoccupied with how the rest of the day will play out._

 _And so when the time finally came that her day in school was over, she quickly fixed herself up as soon as she got home, but not without sending a text message to her childhood friend, saying that she needed to tell him something in private, before stating that she wants to meet up with him in his house's backyard, with nobody else but the two of them. She had also told Xenovia not to follow her to Issei's home, with the former knowing fully well why did Irina ask her to._

 _Being the shy girl that she was whenever the topic was about romance, she didn't outright confess her feelings just yet, because the two just talked about various topics the moment that they met up at the Hyoudou residence, specifically in the backyard. Irina slowly berated herself from the inside on why was she taking so long in telling him the truth; it was only the truth, wasn't it? Urgh, this was harder than she thought it would be!_

 _When she realized that they had taken too much time in conversing about other topics that the sun as already going down, she couldn't take it anymore and finally blurted out what she wanted to say ever since they met up this afternoon._

 _"Ise-kun... there's something I've been wanting to tell you for a long time..." she said, rubbing her arm to stay calm._

 _"W-What is it?" he replied, raising an eyebrow._

 _"Well... Ise-kun, we've been through a lot together... we've known each other since we were kids... we played together, sang songs together, grew up together, cried together... and all of the other memories we shared..." she said, trying to keep a serious but concerned facade. "Throughout all those times... I thought of you as a friend... my best friend, if you want me to be accurate about it... but I want to admit something."_

 _The boy gulped quietly, because he had a feeling in his gut that he knew just where this would eventually lead._

 _"Right now, I don't think of you as my best friend... you're not my childhood friend... but that doesn't mean that you don't mean anything to me anymore..." she paused after that to contain the massive blush on her face. "The truth is... you mean more to me than you could ever know... you're not just a friend to me... you're... you're..." she closed her eyes tightly and braced herself for what she is about to say. "You're the boy... that I have fallen for..."_

 _His eyes slowly widened._

 _"I love you, Ise-kun."_

 _There was no going back now; she had just told him her feelings, and her lips were trembling, showing how scared she was of rejection, most especially since it would probably ruin their friendship. Her eyes were also nearing tears since she was a girl inexperienced in romance, and she didn't know how to take it if her childhood friend didn't accept her._

 _And then Issei spoke after a long sigh._

 _"I know."_

 _It was now her turn to widen her eyes... out of shock. The trembling had left her lips and her tears never fell, in favor of her jaw slightly dropping while staring straight at her childhood friend._

 _"You… you know?" she asked incredulously, but he didn't respond. "You know that I love you, Ise-kun?" she asked once again, but he didn't say anything, keeping his mouth shut. "Ise-kun, you knew, didn't you?" she finished, with her voice taking a serious turn, showing that she wanted to be answered with the truth._

 _"I know... I know that you love me, I'm sure of it... I'm sure of it as much as I love you too..." he muttered with a smile, which was loud enough for Irina to hear._

 _"W-W-What did you say?" she slowly mumbled, unable to believe what she just heard._

 _Issei smiled and held both of her hands with his, their fingers interlocking with each other as he pulled her closer. "I love you too, Irina... who knew that you felt the same way as I did?" he asked jokingly, chuckling at the huge blush that formed on her face. "Anyway, I've felt this way about you ever since we were kids... it started out as a crush because you looked so cute and pretty, but it eventually became something more than that as time passed... I didn't say anything about what I felt because I was scared that you only liked me as a friend... but after seeing you confess your feelings... made my worries vanish into thin air."_

 _All of a sudden, the twin-tailed girl had begun to giggle cutely, the blush on her face fading away. "I guess we've both been idiots, Ise-kun..." she said in an embarrassed tone. "We felt the same way towards each other, yet we didn't say anything until now." She then cupped his cheek with her right hand. "But none of that matters to me... what's important is that I now know how you feel about me and I feel like I could die out of happiness, Ise-kun..." from a serious voice, her tone changed to being emotional and near-to-tears in the end, showing her happiness at the moment. "Thank you for returning my feelings... I love you, Ise-kun..."_

 _In response, he cupped her cheek with his own right hand. "I love you, Irina... thank you for being my friend throughout these years..."_

 _Out of instinct, the chestnut-haired girl started leaning over towards Issei's face, her eyes glued to his lips as if she was hypnotized. In return, the boy looked at Irina's half-lidded face, who had slightly parted that caused her pink tongue to be shown. At the same time, their eyes have locked onto each other once again; her left arm had snaked around Issei's neck while his free arm joined the other that was right behind Irina's back, making them look like they were hugging each other._

 _As the sun was going down with every second, they had slowly closed their eyes while leaning closer and closer and closer..._

 **End of Flashback**

"Mou! You know that I don't like mentioning what happened between us that time when we're with other people!" she pouted cutely in embarrassment as she separated from Issei's grasp, smacking him lightly on the arm afterwards.

"Even if Xenovia's the only one here with us?" he teased, thoroughly enjoying the situation where he's the one who's teasing Irina. However, instead of answering through words, the girl had crossed her arms under her bust and turned away, trying to look angry. Issei knew this trick all too _well_ , this was her way of getting him to give in to what she wanted to happen, and she obviously wanted him to stop teasing her, but that was something that he can't just do... _yet_.

"Aw, don't be like that, _Irina-chan_..." he said, leaning closer towards her and whispering in a low tone that gave her goosebumps before she felt him poke her sides, causing her to get tickled and to break her pouting face and replaced with smiles of humor. As soon as he saw that he succeeded in his task to make his childhood friend smile again, he began laughing loudly afterwards, specifically directed towards the girl herself. "Hahahahahahaha, sorry... it's just fun to mess with you, Irina... well, consider it as a small payback to the times when you mess with me, though..."

Irina groaned before her arms fell back towards her sides, her pouting face breaking into an expression that showed a little bit of frustration. "Urgh, why is it so hard to stay mad at you?" she mumbled, which was unfortunately, loud enough even for Issei to hear.

"Well, it's because of what you feel towards me, genius..." he said, playing with her twin-tails, twirling them around his fingers which caused Irina to smack him on the shoulder once again, which finally sparked a war of words between the two, which could hardly be called a _real war_.

From a certain point of view, it was considered _flirting_.

While her two friends were having their own personal world full of flirting and teasing, Xenovia stood in her place, looking as stoic and emotionless as ever, although that wasn't what her emotions have dictated. 'Ise...' she thought sadly, feeling left out from what was happening between Irina and the boy whom she had a liking to. But what could she do? She didn't want to butt in with the developing romance between them as she had no ill intentions towards either of her friends; sometimes, Xenovia always thought about what would happen if he had _never_ met Issei and what would happen if that was the case. She'd have no feelings for him, then! However, if that ever happened, she would've never had a friend like _him_. If she had never met him, then it was like saying that she never moved to Japan.

'Ise... I know that I shouldn't be feeling this way towards you...' she told herself, feeling sympathy for her own feelings. 'I know that you and Irina have feelings for each other... but my feelings for you can't change, no matter what I try to do... I've tried distancing myself from you, but it seems that I can't last for a long time without seeing your _smile_... if I could... I would tell you the truth about what I feel towards you... however, that would mean that I'm taking away my friend's happiness, and I don't want to make Irina sad...'

"Xenovia, why are you still spacing out over there?" Irina called out, snapping the blue-haired teen out of her thoughts. "Come on, girl! We're staying over at Ise-kun's house for dinner! It's getting dark and Kazumi-obasan would probably get angry with the two of us if we didn't have dinner here... plus, we'd get to spend some time with Koneko-chan too before we go home! Ise-kun's already inside the house, by the way..."

Raising an eyebrow, she looked at the sky and saw it was now dark outside, indicating that it was already nighttime. Xenovia put up one hand below her chin and thought about what happened; had she been focusing on her own thoughts for a _long_ time? She turned her attention back to Irina and began to speak in her normal voice. "Oh, I'll catch up, Irina... you should get back inside... I'm just trying to remember something important while out here, where it's quiet," she answered in her usual stoic tone.

"Fine, but make it quick, Xenovia..." Irina muttered while sighing. "Kazumi-obasan might think that you're trying to escape..." she finished while chuckling, walking back inside the house as she closed the door behind her.

The girl then sighed deeply, going back to her thoughts as she walked towards the house's back door where Irina and Issei probably came in through. 'I wonder what things would be like... if it was different?' she asked herself, imagining Issei with both her and Irina altogether. 'But that is if only, by some miracle, he accepts my feelings... but I don't think he would, really... Irina has already filled his heart... I have no chance...' she thought sadly once again.

* * *

The night passed fairly quickly, as well as the school day that followed, much because Issei was caught in a dilemma on whether he should tell his parents if he was going to go to the audition today. If he did, then they would be expecting him to get accepted into the band without any hesitation, knowing of his excellent talent in music, especially singing. However, if he didn't and simply waited for the results of the audition, there were two possible outcomes. If he was accepted in any way, that would be the time when he'd have to tell his family that he just joined a band, because it would be impossible to keep a secret of that caliber. And even if he didn't tell his family, they would find out about it one way or another through the songs that the band would create, but it may lead to trouble for his part, because he didn't tell his family first.

But if he was rejected, he could either still tell his family that he tried to qualify for a band but wasn't fitting for the role of vocalist, or he could just forget that he even went to the audition in the first place. The last option would be the safest one to follow if he wasn't able to qualify to be a member of the band, because his parents won't have to worry about anything if he never said anything.

He was on his way home and he had just reached the neighborhood where his family lived, running towards his house's front door almost immediately because he wanted to get started immediately in his practice before the audition itself. As soon as he passed by his house's front gate, he knocked on the door and the one who had opened it was his own father, Touji.

"Oh, son..." he said, smiling at Issei before he noticed the serious expression on the young boy's face. "Something happened? You look kind of serious today..."

Issei turned his head to get a glance at who were the people inside the house, before he looked back at his dad. "Is okaa-san home?" he simply asked.

"Yeah, she's sitting on the couch... come on inside before you get kidnapped or anything..." he told his son with a chuckle, pulling him towards the inside of the house.

"I'm home!" he called out, retaining his serious expression, and immediately getting Kazumi Hyoudou's attention as she stood up from the couch and gave her son a kiss on the forehead.

"You look serious, Ise..." she muttered, raising an eyebrow at the boy's look on his face. "Is there something you want to tell us?"

He started looking around, wondering where his cute and possessive sister might be; normally, whenever he would get home from school, Koneko would be the first to welcome him back to the house, before giving him her usual kiss on the cheek and then giving her brother one of the sweets she would be eating that time. Although that was what happened in Issei's daily life, there were still times that Koneko wasn't there to greet him like always. As a big brother, he had to know the reason why she was currently not inside their house, because who knows what kind of danger awaits her in the outside world?

In truth, it wasn't like Koneko didn't know how to defend herself. In fact, between the two siblings, she was the one who was more mature and composed, being the one who acts like a mother whenever she was stuck with her brother alone in the house. Her maturity is also quite unique, as while she is Issei's younger sister and looks like a child, she is arguably more adult than both her brother and her father at times, being a very good cook like her mother Kazumi and dependable when it comes to housework. She even pulls on her brother's ear at times when she would get irritated with whatever he was doing. Despite this, she respects Issei as her older brother and looks up to him when it comes to things she doesn't excel in or know, including socializing with others and musical talent. In return, the brown-haired teenager admires Koneko's maturity inside the house and would do anything to help his imouto whenever she needs help.

"Okaa-san, where's Koneko?" he asked, furrowing his eyebrows in curiosity.

"Koneko-chan?" his mother replied, scratching her head as she looked around, apparently wondering where her daughter was as well. After she noticed that she wasn't around, she suddenly remembered something. "Oh, that's right! Koneko-chan left about half an hour ago because she had a group activity with her classmates! I was honestly surprised when she that, by the way."

"You mean that she started socializing with her classmates more?" Issei asked with hope in his voice. One of the things that Koneko had trouble in was being with others, specifically young teens of her age. Being 14 years old, a year younger than Issei, this was the age where most girls usually interact with others. However, since she grew up with only her brother by her side, she's having a hard time in making friends due to her usual emotionless nature. Aside from this, Koneko also had the tendency to smack people of her age on the head whenever she sees those said people do something that makes her uncomfortable for some reason, which is why most of her schoolmates, specifically girls, try to avoid her so they won't get pummeled.

"Aren't you happy for your imouto?" Kazumi continued in her words, leading her son to sit down on the couch as Touji closed the door behind him before sitting on the couch as well.

"Sure am!" he exclaimed. "Koneko deserves some friends too since the people she has always been with are us and maybe, Xenovia and Irina..."

"By the way, Koneko-chan wanted to give you this!" the woman then picked up something from the small table in front of them, handing it over to her son afterwards. It was a small plastic bag filled with marshmallow candies, and Issei didn't even hesitate to accept the little gift, putting them in his school backpack. "I'm beginning to wonder how that kid can eat so much sweets yet still have perfect teeth..." the woman finished before Issei's voice took over the whole room.

"Can you guys listen to me for a few minutes? I need to tell you both something..." he spoke out, rubbing the back of his head.

"Sure, what is it?" said Touji, leaning closer towards his son to hear him better.

Issei then pointed towards the front door, and his parents' gazes followed his index finger. "About a few hours from now, Irina and Xenovia would be coming over because we'll be doing something... while they're still not here, I'll just be up in my room, practicing with my guitar... I was meaning to ask if I could get your permission to bring my guitar later on when the three of us leave... please?" he said with an innocent look that could easily deceive a sympathetic person. Even though it was _his_ guitar, his parents were a bit strict when it comes to his personal belongings, but it wasn't for less because it was for his own good and so that they won't have to bring out money to buy replacements in case he loses some of his stuff.

"What are you three going to do later, anyway? Why would you need your guitar?" the older man continued, raising an eyebrow.

"Ah, I'm just going to try my hand at making a song... our homework for music class was to make a full-length song and be able to sing it in class with a musical instrument," he lied, hiding the truth about his intention to go to the audition. 'I'm just going to tell them the truth _after_ the audition is done... regardless of whether I get in or got rejected...' he thought to himself, sighing deeply. 'I don't trust their reactions in case I told them right now...'

Touji nodded for a few times before he stood up from his seat, getting all the attention in the room. "Well, if that's the case, go ahead!" he exclaimed cheerfully with a childlike grin. "Just be sure to make a really good song, son! One that could be sung at a real concert!" he joked, walking towards the dining table to get ready for lunch. "Now get going and change into new clothes because we're having lunch... you stink in that uniform..."

"Just be sure to always keep your guitar nearby, Ise-chan..." Kazumi told her son, squeezing his hand softly. "And your father's right... go up to your room and change... we're eating lunch together," she finishe, kissing her son on the forehead before he smiled and stood up from the couch, heading towards the staircase so he could go up to his room and be ready for lunch, and then after, he'd practice for the audition.

'At least everything's going well so far...' he thought.

* * *

Issei Hyoudou hesitated to ring the doorbell, because he was nervous. Why would he be? He had been to this place yesterday, there was nothing to worry about, really! His two companions looked at each other, confused. They were wondering why he still didn't make a move, before he turned around to face them with a problematic expression. "What if the owner doesn't let you two in?" he asked, looking concerned. "What if he only lets people who are going try out for the band and not spectators? I can't just leave you two out here."

"Don't worry," Irina said with a thumbs-up and the smile that he always loved seeing from her. "I have faith that he'll let us in even if we're not going to try to join... you should have faith as well, Ise-kun! God won't let us down, Amen!" Issei couldn't help but chuckle at his childhood friend; she always had a way of cheering him up even if he was feeling nervous, even if she had to incorporate religion and her beliefs in her statements. It was one the traits that made him have feelings for her in the first place, anyway.

"And if that owner won't let us in, Irina and I will storm in to tie him up and restrain him so he won't ruin your audition!" Xenovia said, which only caused her two companions to sweat-drop instead of smiling.

Taking a deep breath, Issei turned back to face the brown door and the doorbell beside it, hoping that this whole band thing wasn't a joke. He then pressed on the white button, ringing the doorbell as they waited for the door to be opened. With every second passing, the boy's hope was slowly diminishing, but it was managed to get saved after half a minute, when the door was finally opened by a tall man appearing to be in his twenties with an average build, black hair, golden bangs and black goatee. He was wearing a purple button-up shirt and blue pants, along with black shoes. It was obvious that this man was the owner of the apartment.

"Can I help you?" he asked in a neutral tone, looking at the brown-haired teen.

"Um..." Issei didn't want to sound nervous. "I'm Issei Hyoudou... and I want to join a band called 'DxD'... is there any chance that the audition is taking place here? It says so in the flyer that my friend is holding," as he said those words, Xenovia held up the yellow flyer that Issei found yesterday for the man to see.

The man's eyes slowly widened. "You're going to try out for the audition?" he asked as a smile slowly formed on his face.

Issei nodded.

"YES! YES, YES YES, YES! ALL RIGHT! TAKE THAT, RAY-RAY!" he suddenly screamed out, starting to jump up and down in joy, which caused the three teenagers with him to sweat-drop at his reaction. He continued doing just that for about a whole minute before he finally stopped by coughing a bit, adjusting his shirt as well. "Sorry about that... I was thinking earlier that nobody would be showing up for the audition... and you're the first, actually!" Issei frowned slightly at his words; he was right on one point, it was true that he was the first to show up because only a minute has passed since the designated time of the decision, but it wasn't true that he would be the only one going to the audition. Who knows, maybe somebody else might show up sooner or later.

"Anyway..." he outstretched his hand for Issei to shake. "I'm Azazel McGoat... pleased to be your acquaintance."

Following his instincts, he accepted the handshake but that was when his mind had realized something. After shaking his hand, the brown-haired teenager was almost tempted to laugh at his surname, but the man himself had stopped him before anything by holding his hand up to stop him in his words.

"I know... my name is funny, but that's how it tells the truth... that's also why I used my videogame name in the flyer, if you notice..." said Azazel, pointing to his black goatee. "Anyway, are your two girlfriends planning to join too?"

"EH?!" Issei replied in shock, while both girls behind him had blushed at being called Issei's 'girlfriends'. "No, no, no, you got it wrong!" he immediately denied by shaking his hands furiously in front of him. "They're my friends, and they came with me here to watch me sing... this here's Irina Shidou," he pointed to his chestnut-haired friend, who smiled while being addressed. "And this is Xenovia Quarta," he then pointed to the blue-haired girl that bowed slightly in response. "So, where is the audition going to take place, Azazel-san?"

"Drop the honorifics, kid... I hate them." He then opened the door more widely, revealing the interior of his home. "Well, come on in... because the audition's not taking place out there," he told them all with a slight chuckle as they walked inside, before Azazel led them to sit on one of the couches in the living room. Irina sent Issei a quick wink because she was right in her words earlier, while he returned it with a warm smile. They simply remained in their place, looking marveled and stunned at how beautiful the house was from the inside; if anything, the whole place looked like a rich family was living here, and it was the perfect house for those who wanted a classy but simple life. There was also a staircase which led to the second floor, and from the looks of it, there were four bedrooms up there.

Seeing a small table in front of him, he placed his guitar on top of it as Azazel approached the three after closing the door. "You're gonna be singing in the garage... uhm... Issei, was it?" he asked, furrowing his eyebrows before the brown-haired boy nodded in affirmation. "Before that, I'm gonna talk to you about a few things first... but something's missing... wait here," he told them before heading to the bottom of the stairs. "Ray-ray!" he called out.

A girl's voice suddenly responded back from inside one of the rooms upstairs that opened its door. "What is it, dad?" the voice asked loudly.

"I need you to get me some snacks and drinks from the kitchen!"

"Can't you do it by yourself?! I'm in the middle of an important game right now!"

"Sorry, I'm keeping three people some company right here... come and see for yourself!" With those words, that particular person stepped out of the room judging from her footsteps before heading down the stairs. Issei, Irina, and Xenovia took this opportunity to look behind them and see who it was.

"W-Who are they?" asked an attractive young woman with violet eyes and a slender body; she had long silky black hair down to her hips and she had a rather large bust for a girl of her age. She was wearing a light pink t-shirt and green shorts, with blue slippers. In her right hand looked like a Nintendo DS and she was wearing earphones. Irina was taken aback that somebody else lived here except for Azazel, and so was Xenovia. Issei's eyes slightly widened at seeing such a beautiful girl like her before he shook his head to snap himself out of his thoughts.

"That cute boy in the middle is going to try out for the band," Azazel simply replied. "Those two girls are his friends, and they came to watch him."

The girl looked up at Azazel with a dumbfounded look. "Seriously?!" she said, unable to believe what she just heard.

"Yep, and you know what that means... you're gonna have to send me a good number of your army later on in our game!" he said, laughing at the young girl. "Now go and get our guests some refreshers because we're going to the garage in a couple of minutes. You could watch him too, if you want."

"Fine... it doesn't mean that I have to like the fact that I'm giving you my hard-earned resources... shouldn't have made that bet..." she huffed, taking off her earphones and placing them along with her DS down on top of a nearby drawer, heading to the kitchen to do what Azazel told her to do.

As soon as Azazel went back to the three teenagers sitting on the couch, Issei was the first one to ask a question.

"Azazel, who is she?" he asked.

"Her?" the man pointed to the girl that was lingering in the kitchen, getting food and water from the fridge. "Her name's Yuuma Amano... but for some reason, she doesn't want to be called by that name because it's too _girly_... she likes to be called Raynare or Ray, for short because that's her nickname. Although she says she doesn't like to be considered girly, she has no problem with her own belongings that are girly in the eyes of others."

"Um, Mr. Azazel?" Irina called out, getting the man's attention. "Is she your daughter?"

"Nah," he said, shaking his head. "I'm her godfather, actually... her mother and father died in a car accident when she was young, and she's been stuck with me ever since. She's been a pain in the neck at times, but we get along. Especially since she inherited my love for videogames... she acts more like a boy if I have to be honest!" he finished with a quick laugh.

"Does she have a boyfriend?" Xenovia asked curiously, while Issei and Irina jaw-dropped at hearing her, rather _personal_ question.

Azazel raised one hand up to his chin in a thoughtful manner. "Hmm, she tried dating a couple of times ever since she turned 14... but none of the relationships she had really lasted. However, I don't think that it affected her at a personal level because just after having one guy as her boyfriend, the next day she's back to normal like nothing happened!"

After his statement, the girl called Yuuma, or Raynare had shown up holding a tray filled with a few cupcakes and three glasses filled with water. "Are done talking about my life, dad?" she asked sarcastically, placing down the tray on top of the table. She then looked at her three fellow teenagers sitting on the couch. "Well better eat up, you three... especially you, cutie..." she took one of the cupcakes from the tray and began eating it, before her other arm pointed towards Issei, who blushed at how Ray addressed him. "You're gonna need it... because dad is definitely a picky guy..."

Irina then stood up from her seat and outstretched her arm towards the girl in front of her. "Nice to meet you, Ray-chan! My name is Irina Shidou!" she exclaimed in her usual cheerful tone.

"Nice to meet you, I guess..." said Ray, shrugging her shoulders and accepting the handshake. "I don't need to tell you my name since you already know it... just call me by my other name and we're good," she looked to the side and saw the blue-haired girl beside Issei also stood up with her hand outstretched.

"I'm Xenovia Quarta... I'm pleased to meet you, Yuuma Amano," her words had caused Azazel to laugh while Ray sweat-dropped.

"Don't call me by that name!" she complained loudly, clenching her fists in a cute way before she accepted Xenovia's handshake either way. Ray then noticed that Azazel hasn't stopped laughing ever since he heard her surrogate daughter get called by the name that she hated so much. "And stop laughing, dad! Otherwise, the deal would be off and you'll never get the men that I promised you!"

With those words, the older man gasped before he knelt down and started worshiping Ray as if she was some kind of goddess. "Please, Lady Raynare... my base is about to go down, and I can't defend my land without any men!" he pleaded, crying anime tears. "Please forgive me..."

"Serves ya right!" the girl answered while sticking her tongue out. After a few seconds, Xenovia had ended the handshake and both her and Irina took one cupcake each from the tray that the black-haired girl brought, starting to eat their food afterwards. Meanwhile, since his two friends had already introduced themselves, Issei decided to do the same as he stood up, outstretching his hand.

"Issei Hyoudou... nice to meet you, Ray," he spoke out in his usual gentle tone, smiling warmly.

"Likewise," Ray answered, accepting the handshake. While they engaged in this particular greeting, Raynare couldn't stop herself from staring at Issei's face the whole time, unaware of the blush that was starting to form on her face. 'He's... kinda cute...' she thought to herself. 'His hand is so... warm...' her eyes went down to their joined hands, feeling ease at his touch.

While Irina and her blue-haired friend were busy eating, Azazel didn't miss the blush on Ray's face and decided for some payback. He immediately knew what was happening with his surrogate daughter; Ray has always been vulnerable to romance and often gets attracted to boys at first sight. And so he stood up and grabbed both teenagers' arms, separating them from each other before letting go of Issei afterwards.

"Come with me, Ray-ray... we need to fix up the garage so Issei can get through with his audition..." he said, pulling Raynare with him as they headed for the back part of the apartment. He turned his head around to look at the three other teenagers that they left, smirking at Issei specifically. "Go on and eat the rest of those cupcakes there, you three... just head for the garage after you're done."

Ray sent her surrogate father a quick glare that he didn't notice, before she turned her head slightly to look at Issei, who joined his other friends in eating.

'Why... was my heart... beating like hell... when he looked at me?' she thought to herself.

* * *

After their little snack, Issei immediately headed for the garage, still accompanied by both Irina and Xenovia. Upon reaching the place through the one door near the kitchen, they saw four chairs near the door which were the opposite of one chair in the center of the whole garage, with a microphone stand just in front of it. There was already a mic ready to be used. Both Ray and Azazel had taken their seats on two of the four chairs in front of them, and when he heard the door open, the latter turned his head around to look at the one who was going to try out to be a part of the band.

"Well, what are you waiting for, Issei?" he asked, smirking a bit. "The mic's waiting for you."

He showed him his guitar that he was holding in his right hand; he had left the bag in the living room since he figured that it won't be important right now. "Can I use my guitar while I'm singing, Azazel?" he asked, rubbing the back of his head with his free arm. "I think it'd be better if I do it that way."

Azazel shrugged his shoulders. "Your choice," he said nonchalantly, before he turned his attention to the two girls by Issei's side. "You two sit on the chairs next to Ray-ray and enjoy the show, got it?"

Both Irina and Xenovia nodded but before they could even do so, Xenovia gave Issei a hug that made his eyes widen in response. It wasn't just because it caught him off guard, but it was also because she wasn't hugging him as tightly as she always used to. "Good luck, Ise..." she whispered towards his ear, before she finally pulled away and went to the chair next to Ray's, leaving the boy stunned in his place. Slowly though, his surprised look had turned to a smile, before Irina made her way towards him.

Irina also gave him a hug of her own, ending with a quick kiss towards his cheek that made them both slightly blush as a result. "Whether you get accepted or not, I'll be here for you, Ise-kun..." she whispered after separating her lips from his cheek. "Do your best, okay?" Issei smiled widely and hugged her tightly, nodding over and over as if he was saying that he knew what to do. As she pulled away, the brown-haired boy gave her a thumbs-up of his own, imitating the way how his childhood friend does it, causing her to chuckle slightly.

Taking a few deep breaths, he headed for the center of the garage and took his seat on the chair, making himself comfortable before he held his guitar with both hands, starting to adjust its tuning as he started to speak. Azazel and the others were watching his every move, each of them having their own thoughts regarding the boy himself.

"This song is dedicated to my best friend... and my first love... Irina Shidou," Issei declared, holding the guitar tightly in his hands, finishing its tuning as he looked up at his childhood friend sitting beside Xenovia, who was blushing because of the fact that he just said that she was his first love out loud and that the song was for her. Hearing his words, all the attention in the place had turned towards the twin-tailed girl. "Irina... can you hear me?"

"Y-Yes, Ise-kun..." she mumbled, nodding slowly.

"Thank you for being always there for me ever since... you have been like my own personal guardian angel... always praying to God and helping me whenever I need help... both you and Xenovia have been like angels to me... but you are something else as well!" he said, and now all eyes and attention were directed towards the chestnut-haired girl, whose blush was growing with every second that passed. "I love you, and this song is for you!"

"Mou! Stop embarrassing me, Ise-kun!" she said out of embarrassment, turning her head to the side, although she was smiling widely in her mind. "I love you too!" she whispered loud enough only for her to hear.

The boy couldn't help but chuckle at Irina's low tolerance to things that embarrassed her, before he put on a serious look and faced the four of them whilst he adjusted the height of the mic stand so that the microphone was near his mouth, amplifying his voice. **"Now, let's get on with the show!"** he announced, starting his song by playing his guitar. **"I hope you all like this one!"**

 _ **(Your Guardian Angel by the Red Jumpsuit Apparatus)**_

 _When I see your smile_

 _Tears run down my face_

 _I can't replace_

 _Now that I'm strong I have figured out_

 _How this world turns cold_

 _And it breaks through my soul and I know_

 _I'll find deep inside me_

 _I can be the one_

 _I will never let you fall_

 _I'll stand up with you forever_

 _I'll be there for you through it all_

 _Even if saving you sends me to heaven_

 _It's okay_

 _It's okay_

 _It's okayayay_

 _Seasons are changing and waves are crashing and_

 _Stars are falling all for us_

 _Days grow longer and nights grow shorter_

 _I can show you I'll be the one_

 _I will never let you fall_

 _I'll stand up with you forever_

 _I'll be there for you through it all_

 _Even if saving you sends me to heaven_

 _'Cause you're my_

 _You're mine_

 _My true love_

 _My whole heart_

 _Please don't throw that away_

 _'Cause I'm here for you_

 _Please don't walk away and_

 _Please tell me you'll stay!_

 _Yeah!_

 _Waohohaoh_

 _Stay!_

 _Woaohoh_

 _Waohohoh_

 _Use me as you will_

 _Pull my strings just for a thrill_

 _And I know I'll be ok_

 _Though my skies are turning grey (grey)_

 _I will never let you fall_

 _I'll stand up with you forever_

 _I'll be there for you through it all_

 _Even if saving you sends me to heaven!_

 _I will never let you fall_

 _I'll stand up with you forever_

 _I'll be there for you through it all_

 _Even if saving you send me to heaven!_

 _I will never let you fall_

 _I'll stand up with you forever_

 _I'll be there for you through it all_

 _Even if saving you sends me to heaven!_

 _ **(Song end)**_

The song had ended after that; the three girls were left wide-eyed and amazed in their seats, especially Irina. Azazel's jaw had dropped because of Issei's performance as a whole. His voice sounded like he was singing on a real stage, in front of many people. His skill in playing the guitar was also shown that it could improve if he underwent lessons. He also noticed that the boy's eyes had closed tightly many times during the whole song, which only meant one thing.

Issei was singing it with pure emotion.

"Wow, he's so good in singing..." Ray muttered, unable to believe that Issei had such talent in both singing and playing the guitar. "I think he could dethrone Vali with the guitar if he learns enough!" she exclaimed; if the situation was normal, the others would have asked who this 'Vali' was, but that was a story for another time.

"He hasn't changed one bit... he's as good as ever," said Xenovia, replacing her shocked expression with a smile that showed victory. 'Now, I'm sure that he'll get accepted with that level of performance," she finished in her thoughts.

"Ise...kun..." Irina mumbled, a few tears of happiness escaping her eyes. "T-That song... it was... for me?" She couldn't form any more words as her head fell on Xenovia's shoulder, crying quietly. "I'm an... angel to you... Ise-kun..." she then closed her eyes, letting her tears of joy pour out. 'I love you, Ise-kun... thank you...'

Because he put in all he had into one song, the brown-haired boy took a few deep breaths to recompose himself as he held his guitar tightly in his right hand. After only a few moments, he looked up at Azazel with a thoughtful expression and finally spoke. "H-How did I do?" he asked, separating his mouth from the microphone.

The older man didn't speak for a few seconds as he was still taken aback with what just happened. "Issei..." Azazel began with an emotionless look. "I want you to show up here tomorrow, exactly at 8:00 in the morning... bring you guitar again, by the way."

"W-What?" Issei replied, furrowing his eyebrows. "What are you talking about, Azazel?"

He smirked at the younger boy. "My boy, Issei... you just got in... welcome to the band!" he finished with a wide grin.

* * *

 _ **Harem: Irina, Xenovia, Rossweisse, Ravel, Raynare, Asia, Serafall, Murayama, Katase, Koneko**_

 _ **Potential Members: Rias, Akeno, Sona, Tsubasa, Reya, Tomoe, Kiyome Abe, Le Fay, Kiryuu, Elmenhilde, Seekvaira, Ingvild, Kunou**_

 _ **If you want to know more about the characters and their roles in this story, join our server that has the link below:**_

 _ **Discord link: [** **discord . gg / TGPM9pH]**_

 _ **Leave a kind review if you can! Tell me the girl you want to add in the harem!**_

 _ **Goodbye... and good night! BANG! *too sweet gesture***_

 _ **-Lance**_


	3. Life 02: Introductions

**_I'm back on another chapter, ladies and gents! Midterms are killing me, but I'm managing to hold out! Last chapter, we just witnessed Issei's first song in this fic and it was quite the fitting song to resemble his bond with Irina… which led to him getting into the DxD band! YAY! How would things play out from there? We'll find out in this chapter! Before you do read on, let's go through the reviews some guys left for me…_**

 ** _merendinoemiliano: Yes. Got a problem? PM me and I will answer you in a civil way._**

 ** _Malluz: I'm waiting until Volume 5 before I even get started on reading it._**

 ** _ItsEizanAgain: What?_**

 ** _Mr. Green37: Thanks, dude!_**

 ** _antifanboy: Thanks for that review, man! And no, it's not an easter egg! It's completely for comedy!_**

 ** _The Quotable Patella: Imagine an English dude memorizing a Japanese song in a matter of days or weeks… get the opposite of that and that was what happened to Issei. I'm a dude from the Philippines, but I can sing Japanese songs perfectly if I know the lyrics._**

 ** _Riatsu: I'll give you more… enjoy the chapter dude! I'm looking forward to your review! P. S. The McGoat made me laugh for nearly an hour! XD_**

 ** _"Normal Talking"_**

 ** _'Thoughts'_**

 ** _Flashbacks_**

 ** _"Talking through microphone" / Actions_**

 ** _Disclaimer: I don't own Highschool DxD or any of its characters…_**

* * *

He thought he must have misheard things; Irina and Xenovia already had large smiles that showed just how happy they were for him while Yuuma had a look of shock on her face, simply staring at her surrogate father. Azazel was smirking at Issei's conflicted look before the latter finally had the voice to blurt out a response.

"W-What?" was his short and simply reply.

"Issei, are you out of your usual self or are you just deaf?" Azazel asked sarcastically.

"N-No," he quickly replied, shaking his head.

"Then you must have heard me quite clearly!" he cheered, standing up from his seat to walk over towards Issei's position. "Welcome to the band! I hope you cooperate well with the other members!"

Having snapped back to reality, Issei finally realized just what Azazel was telling him. Out of shock, his eyes widened and his mouth fell open for a bit, staring blankly at the tall black-haired man.

"W-What?"

This time, the older man couldn't stop himself from laughing loudly this time, patting the brown-haired boy heavily on his shoulder and causing Issei to frown slightly. "Late reaction much? Don't make me repeat myself, kid…"

"I heard you, Azazel, but… for real?" he asked again, suspicion lingering in his tone. "It's not some kind of joke or anything?"

"As much as I love to joke around, I'm afraid I'm not joking, Issei…" he explained, shaking his head. "When I saw you perform right in front of our eyes, I immediately noticed that you had potential and your singing skills are also top-notch… and for that, you just got into the band, kid… congratulations."

Issei's eyes widened. He couldn't believe what he was hearing. Almost immediately, a wide smile broke his state of shock as the boy let his intense feelings of joy flow out, jumping up and down repeatedly for a few seconds, laughing like a man who had been freed from his prison while Azazel was simply chuckling at his overreaction at what was just announced.

"YATTA! I DID IT! I GOT INTO THE BAND! I'M IN A REAL BAND!" he shouted out loud in the happiest tone that he could muster before Irina and Xenovia walked over towards him to show their own form of saying congratulations towards him. This left Raynare as the sole one who was still sitting on her chair before she decided to ask her father something important.

"Dad, do you really think he can fill the role of a vocalist?" she asked, raising an eyebrow curiously. "It's not that I'm saying he's not good, but don't you think it's way too soon? Shouldn't you, I don't know… take a day to think it over?" she shrugged.

"I'm quite certain, Ray-ray…" he replied, watching Issei's two childhood friends hug him to death to show how happy they were for him. "Speaking of which, go inform the other two that they'll be meeting a new friend tomorrow… if we want this band to be successful, they should know how to get along with each other starting the next day."

"Whatever you say," she answered, off to do what Azazel told her to do.

As soon as he saw her surrogate daughter leave the scene, Azazel made his way towards the trio of friends across the garage, clearing his throat so that he would have their attention. After seeing that Azazel's eyes were fixated upon their childhood friend, Irina and Xenovia moved away from him a bit. "Issei… I take it thaf this is the first time that you've ever joined a band?" he asked.

"Yeah, it is…" the boy replied, somewhat embarrassed.

"Not even a marching band?" he pressed on, raising his right hand towards his chin.

"Yeah… about that, I prefer bands with less movements, and more music… marching bands are not included," Issei continued on, rubbing the back of his head. "Aside from joining singing competitions, I haven't thought about any music-related issues or situations."

"I see… well, that only lessens my work now, won't it?" he said with a grin and making the brown-haired boy raise an eyebrow. "This band I'm trying to put together is all about music, but there will be a few cases that some choreography will be applied. Do you think you can take that?"

"I guess if it's just a few dance moves, I'm fine with it…" he shrugged. "As long as I get to sing more than the time I spend busting some moves…"

"You'll sing more, don't worry about it… besides, I said that it will only happen in a few cases that more movements are needed…" Azazel waved him off.

"Anyway, when's the start of band practice, Azazel?" the boy pressed on, barely containing hs excitement to get started. "Sorry if I'm a bit too fast, but I guess I'm just excited to start right away!"

"Quite the eager-beaver, aren't you?" He paused after those words, only to chuckle at his own statement. "Anyway, since you're dying to get started, the first practice will be tomorrow, 8:00 in the morning and the same place. From there, I'll be telling more about what it is exactly we'll be doing. Just don't try to be late, because one thing that I don't like in people is their tardiness, Issei… if you reach this place even a few minutes after the designated time, I'll be giving you a fitting punishment… got it?"

"I got it…" replied Issei before he sneaked a glance towards his two childhood friends. "By the way, can Xenovia and Irina come along with me again, tomorrow? It's the weekend and we have no classes, anyway… so I figured it'd be better if they just stick with me instead of getting bored at their homes."

In response, Azazel only shrugged and turned to the opposite direction before he started to walk away. "Do what you want, Issei… but I do think you should, because there are two other people you're going to meet tomorrow… I don't know about the one guy, but I do know that the other won't mind getting introduced to your two girlfriends…"

All three of them can be seen visibly blushing because of what Azazel just said as an intense but awkward moment of silence was then created between them. Issei immediately took notice of this and decided to take action before somebody else caught them in the act.

"Aaannnnyyywaaaayyy, do you have anything else to tell me?" Issei asked, trying to shift the conversation to something else. "If there's nothing more, we'll just gladly be on our way then, Azazel…"

"Nope, I got nothing more to say to you, so you're free to go!" Azazel said, stepping out of the garage and back into the main part of the house. "Just make sure to treat your girls right, otherwise you'll be ending up like me, Issei! Keep your girls happy because you won't like them when they're mad! Trust me, women are terrifying when they're angry!" he said from inside the house, his voice apparently reaching the garage's interior.

Issei could only sweat-drop at Azazel's statement, before he noticed Raynare walking towards the garage from the kitchen, holding a new tray of cupcakes that Irina and Xenovia both seemed to love eating earlier. She had her earphones on as well as a bored expression on her face before she settled down the food on top of the chair that she was sitting on earlier.

"You three should eat a bit before getting out of here…" she stated, yawning for a second before she turned on her heel and started walking back inside. "You deserve a snack for that performance earlier… the water's in the fridge, so get it yourselves…" She then stopped in her tracks before she could truly leave the place. "I loved the way you played guitar, by the way… I'll be keeping an eye on you, Issei Hyoudou… you're an interesting boy…" Yuuma finished in a slightly seductive tone, blowing a kiss towards the brown-haired boy.

"W-What?!" he exclaimed out of embarrassment, taking a few steps backward while a serious blush appeared on his face.

"What's that supposed to mean?!" Irina asked wildly, frowning at the black-haired beauty.

"Oh, chill… I'm just trying to heighten up the mood!" Yuuma giggled, covering her mouth with her hand before she continued on her way. "But seriously, you three should eat up or walk the whole way back to your homes on an empty stomach!"

* * *

The day went on as a usual evening for Issei; by the time that he reached his house, it was already 6:30 in the evening, but the sun was just about to set that time, so his parents didn't bother asking him where he had been. In fact, only Koneko had the brains to ask her brother where he was, but Issei got out of that particular situation by making up a lie regarding his talent in music being shared with others instead of just his family. Although she had her doubts, Koneko simply believed him and continued on with their dinner. Irina and Xenovia each headed towards their own homes, worried that their parents (guardian in Xenovia's case) might be looking for them so they weren't able to join the Hyoudou family in supper. However, before they did so, they agreed to Issei picking up the two of them early in the morning tomorrow so that they'd be able to go to Azazel's home altogether.

True to his word, he went to Irina's home first in only a few minutes after he finished dressing himself up and getting permission from his parents to let him go on Saturday 'group studies' with his classmates. With his guitar along with him for 'entertainment', he set off for Irina's home and then afterwards, Xenovia's. He still had about half an hour before the designated meeting time at Azazel's apartment, so he was taking his time in picking up his two childhood friends from their homes.

However, after hearing Issei's reason for leaving the house quite early on a weekend, that was when Koneko decided to do some investigating. Through all the years that she had known her brother, he would never invest in doing something school-related such as 'group activities', especially on Saturdays. That was her cue in having the guess that Issei was hiding something from her and their parents, and that she needed to figure out what it was.

'What are you up to, onii-chan?' she asked herself, following Issei and Irina not too far behind from them. Koneko was a master of stealth when it came to following people around, much because of the fact that she was quite small and quiet. 'Irina-neechan is with him… just as I thought, he wasn't going to any group activities at all… they're not classmates and Irina-neechan is in the same school where I attend in…'

When her brother and Irina finally stopped at Xenovia's small apartment and went inside to fetch their friend, Koneko took a break in following them and simply waited for their departure from afar. It was a good thing that she packed herself a bag of sweets before following her brother all the way here, otherwise she'd lose her confidence.

'Not only Irina-neechan, but also Xenovia-neechan?' she asked herself, taking a bite out of her food. 'If it involves them, then onii-chan must be planning something that only involves the three of them… hmm, I know I shouldn't be meddling with onii-chan's personal life, but I need to make sure that he's not hiding any secrets from us…' Only a few seconds after her words, she then saw Issei leaving the small apartment with Irina and Xenovia, causing the young girl to stand up from her seat.

'There they are…' she continued in her mind before she saw Xenovia's guardian/mother figure, Griselda Quarta, waving goodbye to the trio just from the front door. With smiles on their faces, the three friends also waved their arms in farewell, before finally continuing on their way, walking away from the apartment.

'Griselda-obasan is fine with them just leaving like that? Hmm, onii-chan must have told them all what he was planning… this is so not fair…' she pouted, narrowing her eyes before she continued on following the three teenagers. 'What are you hiding, onii-chan? And why do you need to keep it from us, your family?'

* * *

"Well, here we are again…" Issei muttered, reaching the front door to Azazel's apartment alongside Irina and Xenovia. Like yesterday, they walked the whole distance towards here, but since it wasn't really that far, they had no complaints about it.

"Ise-kun, what are you waiting for?" asked Irina irritatedly, crossing her arms as she rolled her eyes, wondering what was taking him so long. "Just knock on the door."

"I know…" he answered while letting out a deep sigh. "I'm just a bit nervous, that's all… you should try putting yourself in my shoes… meeting your bandmates is a pretty big step in creating a band, and I don't want this day to be put to waste…" After his words, he finally reached his arm out and knocked on the door, waiting for someone to respond from the inside.

When the door was opened after only a few seconds, Raynare stepped out of the house holding her 3DS with her earphones on, until she noticed that somebody was in front of her because of the pair of shoes that she was seeing.

The girl paused the game that she was playing and looked up to see the boy that she witnessed in performing yesterday. The two teenagers locked eyes for a brief moment before Yuuma herself broke the silence by peeking her head back inside, looking at the nearest clock and checked the time.

"Woah, I'm impressed… you're earlier than I expected you to arrive, Issei Hyoudou… or should I say, Ise?" she said with a smirk, to which the boy didn't respond to. "Um, it's fine if I call you through that name, right?" she asked, wanting to make sure that he wasn't having any problems with her or her personality.

It took a few seconds, but then Issei finally found his voice so he could answer her question, he shook his head in response to her earlier statement. "It's fine, that's how almost everyone around me call me by, Yuu —" before he could even say what intended to blurt out, the black-haired beauty was already giving him a cold look.

"Don't call me by that name… otherwise, you'll regret it… understand?" she asked Issei, who was only smiling in embarrassment. "Sorry, it's just that it triggers most of the time, and I think that my name is too girly, which dad must have told you already… anyway, just call me 'Raynare' or something that makes you remember me…"

"Then… then what about 'Ray'?" he suggested with a small smile. "To me, 'Raynare' seems more fitting if you were a dude, so I'll just work around it and cut off a part of it. Is it fine to call you 'Ray', though?" he asked, needing her approval to let him do so.

 _ **(A/N: Instead of Raynare, I'm going to refer to Yuuma as 'Ray'... Raynare makes her seem like a guy, to be honest…)**_

She shrugged her shoulders. "Up to you… and I guess it's not that bad…" she replied, overlooking the fact that she had the same situation like what happened earlier regarding Issei's name. A few seconds later, she beckoned for the three of them to come inside. "Anyway, come on inside, wouldn't want you to stay out there until your first meeting as a whole band now, do we?"

Following the black-haired gamer inside the house, Issei noticed that there was no sign of Azazel anywhere, so he decided to ask his surrogate daughter about it. "Ray? Mind if I ask a question?" he asked as the four of them sat down on the two couches in the living room.

"As long as it's answerable," she replied, unpausing her game and continuing to play despite needing to hear out Issei's question.

"Where's Azazel?" he asked, wanting a simple and straight answer from the girl.

"He's in the bathroom, taking a nice hot bath… might not come out for half an hour, so we got no choice but to wait for him… you can have a look around the house if you want to… though, I'd appreciate it if you don't break anything," she quickly said, focusing back on her game afterwards.

"I guess we're waiting for him then…" Issei stated, sitting down on the couch, next to Ray. "You two can do whatever you want —" he was cut off from his words when he saw Irina offering him her hand, causing him to look at her in response.

"Come on, Ise-kun! Let's go upstairs! We didn't have the chance to see what's up there, so this is the perfect opportunity!" she exclaimed happily, with Xenovia smiling just behind her.

"Well, I don't know… Azazel might be —" before he could say anything more than those words, he felt Irina pulling him up to his feet as Xenovia and her led the way towards the second floor of the house.

"We're not taking that for an answer, Ise-kun! You're coming with us, whether you like it or not!" Irina retorted, smirking slightly as they climbed up the staircase.

Issei could only sigh in response as he heard Ray chuckling from behind him. 'Well, not like I can really complain…' he thought to himself.

* * *

"Issei! Come down here with your girlfriend right now! We have some urgent business to take care of!" Azazel screamed from the bottom floor that was loud enough to reach the bedroom where Issei and Irina were.

"She's not my girlfriend!" Issei roared back in embarrassment as both him and Irina got ready to leave the room, arranging the bed just how it was when they arrived there. When the boy looked at his childhood friend who was giggling at Azazel's statement, he couldn't help but flash a gentle smile directed towards her. Xenovia had already left them alone just a few minutes ago, saying that she needed to go to the bathroom, leaving the two childhood friends inside the room alone.

'Yet…' he finished in his thoughts, excited for their future time in high school, where they could finally be a couple.

After the pair was finished in rearranging the bedroom back to its original state, they quickly made their way down the stairs to the living room where Azazel stood with Ray and Xenovia not too far to his side, along with two other boys standing just in front of the black-haired man. One of them was about the same height as Issei, had a handsome, youthful look on his face and donned short, blonde hair. He also had a distinct mole just under his left eye. He was wearing a flower-themed buttoned-up shirt and red shorts, along with brown rubber shoes to complete his outfit.

The other boy was a few inches taller than Issei; he was a handsome young man with dark silver hair and blue eyes. He was wearing a dark green V-neck shirt with a high-collared black leather jacket. He also had burgundy jeans with a silver chain drooping down over them and black shoes with black buckles. He had a look on his face as if he was trying to say 'Touch me, and you're dead', causing Issei to flinch slightly because of how intimidating the silver-haired boy looked like.

Issei stared at the two boys for a few moments before he turned towards Azazel with a quirked eyebrow out of curiosity. "Azazel, who are these two?" he asked, pointing at the two of them.

"Issei, I want you to meet your two bandmates… this is Yuuto Kiba-Gremory," he spoke, patting the blonde boy on his shoulder who was smiling warmly at Issei. "He's the band's drummer and I chose him because of a friend's recommendation just a few weeks ago. Now, this is —" before he could speak any more words, Issei cut him off all of a sudden.

"Wait, did you just 'Gremory'?!" he exclaimed, his eyes widening slowly. "This dude is a part of the richest family in Kuoh?! Dude, that's so awesome! Word is that your fam's on par with the Sitri in terms of riches! Is that true?!" he continued, turning his attention to young Gremory.

Yuuto couldn't help but chuckle a bit. "I'm actually an adopted child," he answered. "But yeah, I am basically a part of the family. And true, the Sitris are just as rich as my family is, but I don't really care. There is no rivalry between us, and in truth, Otou-sama is actually business partners with the head of the Sitris… so that results in an alliance formed between us."

"Wow, I never knew about that… the two most prestigious families in this town… working together… that's so cool! Oh please, you gotta tell me all about yourself! What school do you go to, who are your siblings, what is your — OUCH!" he was cut off mid-sentence when he felt Azazel smack him in the head. "WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT FOR, AZAZEL?!" he yelled out in pain, causing Irina and Ray to giggle.

"As I was saying," the older man continued, putting on a more serious expression. "This other boy right here is Vali Lucifer," he pointed to the silver-haired boy, who was eyeing Issei up and down as if he was testing him. "I chose to make him as the guitarist because I've seen him play remarkably when he was trying to earn money for his mother... you see, his mother was —"

"Shut up, Azazel…" Vali told him coldly, cutting him off before he turned back towards Issei. "This boy is gonna be our vocalist, huh?" he said with a smirk. "Doesn't seem like he has talent to me."

"Why you…" Issei snarled, immediately feeling a growing hatred for the silver-haired guitarist. "Why the hell would Azazel choose me if I had no talent, jerkface?! Care to explain that, huh?!" he retorted.

Vali's smirk grew wider than before as he crossed his arms. "Oh, not only a nerd, but an idiot as well? Obviously, Azazel is an idiot like you so that's why he chose you as our singer! Friends help friends, as they say… in this case, an idiot helped an idiot."

Immediately angered with those words, the brown-haired boy butted heads with Vali. "Who are you calling a nerd and idiot, you punk?!" he asked with a tick mark appearing on his head.

A tick mark appeared on Vali's head as he narrowed his eyes at Issei. "I am not a punk! Take that back!"

"Only a punk would dress up in those kinds of clothes! And nerds wear glasses, for your information! I can beat you in a game of wits anytime I wanted, idiot!" Issei growled, while all of the other people in the living room sweat-dropped.

"Well, nerds like you are half-annoying, and half-nerdy! That's why you don't need glasses at all! And don't you dare twist my words, brainless!" Vali yelled back, the tension growing more and more between the two of them before Azazel's voice pierced through everything in the room.

"ENOUGH!" he screamed, causing both Issei and Vali to separate from each other, looking at Azazel. "If you three are gonna be a band, then you're gonna have to work with one another, is that clear? That means no fighting with one another, you two!" Issei and Vali threw a glance at one another before they nodded, causing Azazel to sigh.

"There we go, now isn't that better? I thought it would be harder than I anticipated it to be…" he then turned his attention to his daughter. "Ray-ray!" he called out.

Not turning away her gaze from her 3DS, she walked towards Azazel, completely focused on the game she was playing yet managing to listen to her father at the same time. "What is it, dad?" she asked.

"I'm gonna have a private conversation with Issei, Vali, and Kiba for a while… clearly no one else must be involved in what we are going to talk about… do you think you could take over things here in the living room, which includes the two girls with you, until we finish our little talk?" he asked.

"Yeah, sure thing, dad…" she answered without really giving it much talk, heading back to the couch to continue her game in peace.

Azazel then turned back to the three bandmates with a smile on his face. "Now that's done, let's get moving, shall me?" he said, beckoning them to follow him with his hand as he walked towards the kitchen, where the door to the garage was also located. Yuuto and Vali immediately followed him without hesitation, leaving Issei in his place, pondering about what was happening at the moment.

'I wonder what's on Azazel's mind…' he thought. 'If we're just going to practice, then he should have no problem in letting Irina and the two girls watch…' He then took off his guitar bag and placed it down on the couch before turning back towards the kitchen. 'It must be something that might have to do with the band itself… then that means we're not going to be playing any instruments today… I guess it's safe to assume that I won't be singing too…' he shrugged his shoulders and was about to follow the three when he heard somebody's voice stop him in his tracks.

"Ise-kun, wait!" came the unmistakable voice of Irina Shidou.

However, before he could even turn around and ask what was happening, the twin-tailed girl tackled him to the floor and gave him a passionate kiss on the lips. Issei was taken aback with her sudden action but then he decided to return the kiss with the same amount of love that he felt for her; their liplock lasted for a few seconds before Irina pulled away with a smile.

"Good luck on your first day, Ise-kun," she told him with a wink before getting off of him and pulled him up back to his feet. "It's a shame I can't watch you… but I can at least give you a 'good luck' kiss!"

Using his right hand, he stroked Irina's cheek softy before he smiled warmly at his first love. "Thank you for being with me, Irina…" he told her. "I won't let you down."

The girl suddenly pouted before she crossed her arms and looked to the side out of embarrassment. It was quite amazing and interesting that Irina can go from being a cheerful girl to a pouty one in only a matter of seconds.

"Mou, just go and do your best, Ise-kun!" Issei only chuckled in response before he leaned over to give her a quick kiss on the cheek as he took off to follow Azazel and his two other bandmates towards the garage. Irina blushed deeply because he managed to get back at her as she stared at her crush's figure walking away.

'I love you, Ise-kun! Don't disappoint me!' she finished in her thoughts, turning back to the other girls that were sitting on the couch. Ray was smirking at her, while Xenovia was staring blankly at her.

"What?" Irina asked, feeling that she was being treated like a criminal caught red handed.

"So that's how you show love towards your boyfriend…" Ray teased, turning her attention back to the game that she was playing.

"He's not my boyfriend, Ray-san!" Irina denied, calling Yuuma by the name that Issei used to refer to her earlier. "Ise-kun is my best friend ever since we were kids!"

"That is definitely not how best friends act, Irina-san…" she teased back, calling the chestnut-haired girl by her name; Azazel had told her all about the three teenagers that all went to their house yesterday after Issei and his friends left. Hence, that was how Ray knew who they were. "What are you two, friends with benefits?" she asked, chuckling a bit.

"We are not!" she continued to deny, shaking her head furiously in embarrassment.

"That's not true… based on your current actions," her smirk grew wider as she paused her game to plant her palms on her hips in an interrogating manner. "Just inform me when you two seal the deal… it'd be fun to watch, Irina-san!"

"I told you, it's not like that! Right, Xenovia?" she turned to her best friend to give her some support. Unfortunately for Irina, the blue-haired beauty looked out of herself that she wasn't able to respond immediately. The twin-tailed girl raised an eyebrow at her friend, who seemed to be internally conflicted with something. "Xenovia? Is something wrong?" she asked.

"Huh, what?" replied Xenovia, hearing her name getting called. That was when she noticed Irina staring at her, as if she was trying to see if there was something wrong. "What were you saying, Irina?"

"Is something wrong with you, Xenovia?" she repeated. "You seem to be out of yourself lately…"

Xenovia immediately shook her head and put on a fake smile. "Oh, everything's fine, Irina!" she said, smiling. "Don't worry about it."

Irina frowned. "Are you sure? I don't want you to look down and I'm not able to help."

"I'm sure," she replied, nodding.

The chestnut-haired girl couldn't help but sigh. There was definitely something going on with Xenovia, since she normally looks stoic and prideful most of the time instead of smiling. She didn't know what was making her friend like that, but she'll definitely find out more about it.

"If you say so…"

* * *

"There you are… what took you so long? Making out with your girlfriend?" Azazel commented, seeing Issei walk inside the garage. Vali was looking at him with a neutral expression while Yuuto still had the same gentle smile on his face. "Well, come on and take a seat beside these two… I won't start talking unless you three are complete."

"She's not my girlfriend!" Issei protested, walking over to where the three where, taking a seat beside Yuuto, which only caused Azazel to chuckle slightly. "Geez… anyway, aren't we going to be practicing for today? I brought my guitar but I didn't bring it with me here because these two don't have any instruments along either," he asked.

Azazel shook his head. "I appreciate the effort, Issei… but we're not going to be practicing anything today… consider this talk we're going to have an orientation of what this is all about."

"Where are you going with this, Azazel?" asked Vali, quirking an eyebrow in curiosity.

"Look, I'll start from here…" he began, sitting on a chir that was opposite in position to the three. "You might think that I am rich for being the owner of this house, right? Well, I'm not the owner… and I'm not rich at all… ever since _he_ took over my company…" he growled.

"Who's _he_?" asked Issei, frowning a bit.

"You'll find out in due time, Issei…" Azazel replied. "Anyway, as I was saying, I was the owner of a recording company… but that was until _he_ overthrew me from my position and got me fired by the board of directors. I've been living with Ray-ray ever since, because she was the only one who can still provide me with everything I need despite my huge loss."

"What do you mean?" asked Yuuto.

"I'm trying to say that this house doesn't really belong to me… it belongs to Ray-ray, actually…" he replied, causing the three teenagers' eyes to widen slightly.

"This house belongs to Ray?!" exclaimed Issei. "How is that possible?"

"Long story short, her parents were a wealthy couple until they died… since I'm her godfather, she was entrusted to me, along with the riches her parents left her and this house. I'm simply the caretaker of those riches until Ray-ray turns 18… once she reaches that age, she's free to do whatever she wants with her money."

"I see… and now, you seek to reclaim your company from the people who overthrew you in the first place?" asked Vali, crossing his arms.

"That's right… that's why I'm cancelling the band practice for today," he admitted with a sigh. "I'm actually off to court, because I am currently caught in a case to prove that _he_ used illegal and underhanded tactics to take over my company, the 'Grigori'… I'm very close to taking it back, and I won't stop until I do… it's also why I'm wearing a business suit right now," he said, pointing to his choice of clothes.

"Um, I don't mean to be rude, but why are you trying to put together a band if you don't have a recording company in the first place?" he asked, earning the attention of Kiba and Vali in the process. "What? It just seems weird to me, " he shrugged.

"It's because _he's_ not only using my company for the money, Issei… the man who took over it is also using the corporation to mask his wrong doings… he's literally using the money earned to mask the deals and shippings he's made with drug lords and syndicates all over the world."

"That's awful," Issei commented, wincing slightly.

"Exactly. Putting together a band right now when I'm close to getting victory in the case at court is the best way to get back all the money lost through the years… once I win the case and I'm back in control, I promise that everything will be easier for the band's future, so you won't have to worry."

Both Vali and Issei gave a nod of understanding, but Yuuto started to speak, a question sparking inside his mind.

"Does onii-sama know of this?" he asked, raising an eyebrow. "Since you're friends with him, you must've informed him about the case you're dealing with."

"Of course, Sirzechs knows about it, Yuuto… only him and Ray-ray know about it," Azazel replied with a smile. "He's actually a witness in my side, and we'll be meeting later on to discuss what our next plan of action will be. He's supported me all this time, and your family gives me all the support they could give. I intend to pay them back by making you a band member, Yuuto."

"I see…" Kiba muttered, looking down on the floor.

"Well, obviously, this is not a secret anymore… now that you three know about it… though I'd advise you three not to tell this to anybody looking supicious, got it? I can understand if you tell your family… but don't give it out to everyone you know."

All of them nodded in response.

"Good… now, do you have any more questions?" he asked, looking at the three of them. After a few more seconds, nobody dared to ask anything else. But it was Issei's shaking head that caught the black-haired man's attention, and that was Azazel's cue to stand up and arrange his clothes, before looking at his watch.

"That concludes this meeting then… I should be getting on now… I have to be there early and surely, Sirzechs is gonna show up early too." He then turned his attention to the three boys in front of him. "I'm sorry if the practice for today is cancelled, but I'm doing this not only for me, but for all of you as well. You three can either go home or stay here, I'm not gonna be back until late in the afternoon, so Ray-ray's in charge of the house until then… just be sure not to break anything here! I may not care because this isn't my house, but Ray-ray will! See ya!" he said happily, going back inside the house, presumably about to get something before continuing on his way.

The three teenagers were left frozen in their seats for a brief matter of moments before Vali cleared his throat and stood up.

"Excuse me, but I think I'm going to catch some sleep in the guest room upstairs…" he then yawned after his words. "I can't believe he woke me up for nothing… well, it's an interesting talk at the least," he murmured to himself, walking out of the garage.

"I'm going to call otou-sama and see if I'm needed back at home…" said Yuuto, standing up from his seat as well, heading out of the garage. "It's nice meeting you, Ise-kun… I hope we get along."

Seeing that he's the only one left in the place, Issei sighed to himself, drifting to his thoughts. 'What should I do? If I go home now, my parents and Koneko will become suspicious because I haven't been gone for long…' he thought to himself before he stood up after only a few seconds. 'I guess I'll just go ask Irina and Xenovia what they want to do… it's more fun to spend time with them than be stuck at home, doing nothing…'

The moment that he got out of the garage and into the kitchen, he then noticed something through the window that clearly showed the house's backyard.

"Oh, the house's backyard doesn't look so bad…" he remarked, observing the area through the window carefully, until he saw something intriguing just sitting there. "Hang on, there's a person there… it looks like a girl, and… WAIT!" he suddenly exclaimed, noticing the person's distinctive blue hair.

"It's… Xenovia?"

* * *

Xenovia Quarta sat on a rock just at the backyard of Azazel's apartment, where she was busy tending to her own feelings. In all honesty, this wasn't like her at all; normally, she was blunt and open with whatever that was on her mind but that wasn't what's on the line. Apparently, she couldn't hold back what she felt any longer after what she saw just a few minutes earlier.

It couldn't leave her mind, the image of Irina and Issei on the floor, kissing like they were an official couple. It made Xenovia feel left alone, with nobody coming back for her. Not Irina, not Issei, and not even Griselda.

"No…" she said to herself with a lone tear flowing down the side of her face, not caring whether someone would see or hear her. "I should be happy for them… they are my friends, and it would be betraying their trust… but I can't help but feel jealous… WHY DID IT HAVE TO BE THIS WAY?!" she shouted, grabbing a fistful of her own hair. "WHY?! WHY DID I HAVE TO FALL FOR ISE?!" With those words, the tears finally flowed out her eyes, letting out all the pent-up emotion inside of her.

"Maybe it's because I'm too handsome?" a voice said from behind her.

Almost immediately, Xenovia turned around to look at who was out there with her. Her eyes widened upon seeing Issei walking towards her with an innocent smile on his face. "I heard everything you said, and I need to tell you something, Xenovia…" he continued.

Not wanting her crush to see her in such a vulnerable state, the blue-haired beauty quickly wiped her tears off her face and took a few deep breaths to calm herself down. "W-What are you talking about, Ise?" she lied, raising an eyebrow. "And what did you need to tell me, by the way?"

Issei only shook his head in response, finally reaching the girl as they were now only a few inches apart. "Lying won't do you any good, Xenovia…" he breathed out. "I know you have feelings for me, just like Irina."

"I-I don't —" she tried to deny his words, but he quickly cut her off.

"It's no use, Xenovia…" he spoke softly, giving her a warm smile that made her heart flutter. "I know of those glances you gave me secretly… I know that you talk to yourself about why you had to fall in love with me… I also know the real reason why you hug me so tightly every time… I'm not that dense, Xenovia."

As stoic and prideful as she was, Xenovia didn't break her expression apart, closing her eyes to help calm herself down. "Issei, I don't know what you're talking about, so just—" her eyes then snapped open when she felt the boy grab both her shoulders as he stared into her eyes, their faces only a few inches apart from each other.

"Don't make me beg for the truth…" he pleaded, shaking his head as if he was telling her not to go that way. "Please don't."

Her eyes were simply as wide as tennis balls as he spoke; Xenovia didn't know what to say, she was speechless. But then all of a sudden, tears started welling up in her eyes once more, giving in to what she felt inside her. She immediately knew what was going to happen next, and so she broke free of his grasp before she turned around so that Issei won't have to see her tear-streaked face.

"What would you have wanted me to do then?" she asked with a tinge of anger in her voice. "Just forget everything that you've done for me? For Irina? For Griselda? Everyone I care about?" After her words, she started sobbing freely, covering her eyes with her hands. "You should ask yourself why is it that you attract women's attention? What's so special about you? How could a boy like you managed to have gotten through me and gained my affections?!"

Issei just looked at her with a concerned expression as he listened to her words. He was fighting off every thought he had of hugging the girl right then and there, and he was barely holding out.

"You can't blame me for having feelings for you…" she continued. "You're unlike any other boy out there, and I think even you know that… ever since I first stepped foot into this place, you had my attention… at first, I was cold and unforgiving with you but that opinion changed in a matter of months… I know that I shouldn't be feeling this way because you already have Irina and that I would be betraying her trust if I continued on liking you… but every time that you do something that makes me feel happy inside, I can't help but feel jealous of what she has!"

Finishing in her words, Xenovia continued on crying her eyes out into her hands; as the seconds passed, she noticed just how quiet the environment had become and that was when she assumed that Issei had left the place.

'I messed everything up… now, he's gone…' she thought to herself before she felt someone grab her shoulders once more, forcing her to turn around afterwards. For the second time, she had locked eyes with Issei Hyoudou, and as of the moment, he looked more serious than he was before.

"I didn't expect you to like me in that way, Xenovia… but it doesn't mean that I'll be going anywhere!" he assured her with a determined look. "If you really like me in the same way that Irina does, we can give it a shot," he told her, making her eyes widen. "Besides, we've known each other for nearly 10 years now! We're more than best friends if you ask me… I want the people I care about to be happy, and if being with me makes you happy, I'll give you what you want…" he cupped her cheek and smiled warmly at her. "You're beautiful, cute, passionate, hard-working even though you're as blunt as a file… apart from that, you're special, just like how Irina is special too."

"I'm… special…" she muttered, a blush taking over her face before he spoke once again.

"Do you want to be with me? Please be honest with me, Xenovia…" he asked, brushing away a few strands of her hair off her face.

"I-I do…" she confessed through her tears. "B-But there's my issue about Irina, so I can't —" before she could even continue further, another person's voice caught her voice dry.

"Issue with me about what?"

Xenovia turned around immediately and saw the wide smile on Irina's face that was directed towards her. The look on her face turned into disbelief out of fear that her friend might have heard what Issei and her were talking about. And she didn't want to look bad in front of Irina, nor steal her love away from her.

"I-Irina, this is —!" she said out of panic, before the twin-tailed girl cut her off.

"Oh, chill the heck out, Xenovia!" the chestnut-haired girl exclaimed, patting her friend on the shoulder with a huge grin on her face. "I know that like Ise-kun just as much as I do!" Xenovia's eyes widened in shock. "I want you to know that I'm completely fine with it, Xenovia… just don't hog Ise-kun all to yourself, otherwise I'll consider you my rival!"

The blue-haired beauty must have been having hearing problems because the next thing she did was raising her eyebrow in confusion and slight shock. "W-What?" she blurted out, not sure if what she heard was right.

"Mou, don't make me repeat myself again, Xenovia!" Irina pouted. "I said that I'm okay with you having a crush on Ise-kun too! If you want, we can date him together after we graduate!"

"R-Really? You'd be… fine with it, Irina?" she asked through a shaky voice, tears stinging her eyes once again.

"Of course, silly!" she replied, reverting back to her cheerful self. "You've been my best friend ever since we were kids, and I know that you also have a good relationship with Ise-kun… that's why… that's why I'm fine with it… I couldn't pick any other girl that I'd share Ise-kun with!"

"But... but… isn't it forbidden for two women to share one man?" she wondered. "According to the Bible, only —" she tried to explain, only for Irina to cut her off once again.

"Forget about religion for once and focus on reality, won't you?" Irina told her sharply and causing her friend's eyes to widen; Xenovia had never heard her friend speak like that about the church and anything related to God, so hearing the chestnut-haired girl talk like this was shocking. "Ise-kun can be with the two of us, if you must know!"

"H-How can that be possible?" she asked curiously, raising an eyebrow.

"The two of us can be both Ise-kun's girlfriends after graduation if we agree to be a part of his harem! Now, won't that be fun?" she said cheerfully, winking at her friend afterwards.

"A… A harem? What's that?"

Irina sweat-dropped at Xenovia's lack of knowledge in things like this before she shook her head and decided to approach things in a different way.

"Let me put it this way, Xenovia… you want to be with Ise-kun like me, right?" The blue-haired girl nodded. "We can both be with Ise-kun by being a part of his harem… a harem is a situation where two or more girls share one man as their husband, so in Ise-kun's case, we'll be sharing him if you want to!"

"I… I see, that makes sense…"

"Now, if you don't really want to be with him, I won't force you and I guess there would be no harem for Ise-kun at all since I'm the only one who'll be with him… so, I'm going to ask again…" she raised an eyebrow. "Do you want to be with Ise-kun and be a part of his harem?"

Xenovia wanted to answer her with the truth, but she wanted to make sure. Her bottom lip trembled as she stared at Irina. "A-Are you really fine with me being with Ise?"

"Of course!" the twin-tailed girl countered with a wide grin before she slapped Xenovia's arm lightly. "There's no other girl I'd share Ise-kun with!"

The girl who was having a war inside her mind then turned to Issei, who joined Irina's side and hugged her close to him, before he smiled warmly. "Do what will make you happy, Xenovia… I'll be there to support you whatever decision you make... whether you want to be with me or not."

"Ise…" was all that she could mutter before tears had started flowing out her eyes once more, rushing towards her two friends before she hugged them tightly, while Issei and Irina couldn't help but hug her back as well, already having a clear guess on what her answer was.

"I knew it…" said Irina, smirking for a few seconds before she continued in her words. "Well, I guess this makes the two of us Ise-kun's girlfriends after graduation! Doesn't this make you happy as well, Ise-kun? Xenovia's gonna be a part of your newly-established harem!"

"Geez, you make it sound like I've a bunch of girlfriends, Irina… I don't intend for that to happen," he groaned while sweat-dropping before his attention turned to the blue-haired beauty hugging him. "And yeah, it makes me happy that Xenovia's finally confessed… I thought we'd have to reach a near-death situation for her to finally say what she felt…"

"I thought you don't want to have many girlfriends, Ise-kun?" she asked teasingly.

"D-Did I?" he stuttered, starting to sweat in nervousness. "I don't recall saying —"

"So you do want to have many girlfriends!" Irina pointed out, throwing the boy a wicked stare as he was blushing. "Well, don't worry! As long as I'm the first girl in your heart, Ise-kun, I don't mind at all! Besides, the question should be 'who wouldn't fall for you?'" she asked while giggling.

Issei turned his gaze back to Xenovia before he looked to the side, averting his gaze from his childhood friend as he started imagining himself surrounded by many women, representing his 'harem'.

Not many people knew this, but underneath the goody-two-shoes Issei that people knew was a hidden personality that he kept from almost everyone he knew. It didn't became a secret anymore a year ago, when Irina caught him fantasizing about his own harem and living with them in the future. At first, Irina was hurt and greatly affected that he was not contented with her and wanted to have more, but that was forgotten when he promised her that she would always be the number one girl in his heart, despite how many girls he would have feelings for. That was when she found out that the reason why he wanted to have a harem was because of the possibility that Xenovia has a crush on him and that he'd have a hard time dealing with two girls who both had feelings for him.

He didn't know what to do with those two girls; both were his childhood friends, and he can't possibly downright reject either of them because he didn't want anyone to get hurt. So, instead of just having one girlfriend, Issei just opted to have another so nobody would get hurt or feel alone when it comes to being with him.

After all, it was quite all right to have a harem of his own.

'Don't jinx it, Irina…' he thought to himself, shaking his head to get these thoughts out his mind. He wasn't ready for this step in relationships just yet, much because they were still in middle school.

Irina Shidou had no idea what she just put Issei into.

* * *

 ** _Well, the truth about Azazel's recording company has come out and it's not good! Someone stole the Grigori corp. from him, but I wonder who could it be… can he reclaim it back or will it stay on enemies' hands? Anyway, that was a pretty good confession scene, don'cha think? Xenovia's now a part of the harem, guys! Let's be happy for them! But things won't end good for Issei… his sister just followed him all the way there without him even noticing… I wonder what would happen next?_**

 ** _Harem: Irina, Xenovia, Rossweisse, Ravel, Raynare, Asia, Serafall, Murayama, Katase, Koneko, Le Fay_**

 ** _Potential Members: Rias, Akeno, Sona, Tsubasa, Reya, Tomoe, Kiyome Abe, Kiryuu, Elmenhilde, Seekvaira, Ingvild, Kunou_**

 ** _If you want to know more about the characters and their roles in this story, join our server that has the link below:_**

 ** _Discord link: [discord . gg / TGPM9pH]_**

 ** _Leave a kind review if you can! Tell me the girl you want to add in the harem!_**

 ** _Goodbye... and good night! BANG! *too sweet gesture*_**

 ** _-Lance_**


	4. Life 03: First Practice and the Catgirl

_**Heyo dudes! Here we are again on another chapter of this AU band fic. This chapter takes place immediately after the events of the previous chapter, and brace yourself because a lot of things are happening in this one, including the debut of a new character who will becme more relevant as things go on. Since I'm done with this one, I'm gonna work on Dragon's Charm again and then after that, this one again and so on. I don't have that much to say so let's get to the reviews before the chapter!**_

 _ **Mr. Green37: I don't blame me, Azazel's backstory is interesting here. Sadly, you'll have to wait for this story to progress even further before we dive deeper into his story.**_

 _ **MrKristoffer1994: Rias and Akeno are definitely a yes, I'll have to think of a way to incorporate Kiyome and Seekvaira's stories into an AU first.**_

 _ **bob325: Oh, good suggestion! Thanks!**_

 _ **Imperial-samaB: I know right?**_

 _ **antifanboy: Thank you, i appreciate it.**_

 _ **R0ck3tFiRe: As much as I love Kuroka x Issei, she's paired with Vali here because it suits the storyline and the events that will happen in this chapter. That's final. Lavinia is added to Vali so that makes it two girls for him, Kiba, and Saji. Issei hits the jackpot.**_

"Normal Talking"

'Thoughts'

 _Flashbacks_

 **"Talking through microphone" / Actions**

 _ **Disclaimer: I don't own Highschool DxD or any of its characters… I also don't own the song mentioned here.**_

* * *

It took a while for Xenovia to finally calm down from her crying, but nonetheless after hearing that Issei was willing to give his relationship with Xenovia a chance in deepening further, it made the girl happy to no end that she hugged him tightly out of nowhere. It didn't help that the fact that Irina was fine with sharing the boy she loved with her best friend contributed to her happiness even more that it got her to shed tears of joy.

This could be the happiest day in Xenovia Quarta's life if she had to be honest with her own self, and she rarely ever values any event in her life.

"Yeah, yeah…" Irina said, crossing her arms and turned away to hide a pout. "You already confessed, Xenovia, and Ise-kun accepted your feelings… now could you please let go of each other now?"

"Oh yeah, I totally forgot that you were a tsundere sometimes, Irina…" Issei teased as Xenovia slowly separated herself from him to end their embrace. "Were you jealous of seeing me and Xenovia hugging? Come on, don't be like that… she just told me her real feelings today and now, you're already complaining? Jeez, I never pegged you to be the possessive type."

"Mou, how rude!" the twin-tailed girl stated, clenching her fists lightly. "I am _not_ possessive, Ise-kun! If you just forgot about it, I'm going to let Xenovia be with you as well, even when you're only supposed to be with me…" she whispered to herself in the end with a blush, crossing her arms as well. "You should be grateful that I treat my friends like they're my life, and I'd do anything just to make them happy…"

"Aww, just stop going all tsundere on me, would you? When you tease me, I don't give a damn, but in your case, you're so vulnerable to it…" Issei said, giving the girl a quick peck on the cheek that got her to widen her eyes in surprise, blushing harder than before as a result. "Anyway, aren't you going to hug Xenovia as well? You're best friends, remember?"

After sending the boy a quick glance, Irina turned her attention towards her best friend as they stared at each other. Without saying any other word, Xenovia lunged at her friend and Irina didn't hesitate to accept the blue-haired girl's embrace. "Thank you, Irina… you always go out your way to help me… I don't know how my life would have been if I had never met you," saud Xenovia, smiling widely while Irina simply patted her back in response.

"Don't worry about it, Xenovia…" she answered, conpletely forgetting her earlier mood. "We've been best friends ever since England… we're supposed to help each other and stick together all the time."

While the two girls were hugging it out, Issei was crossing his arms at the side near the house, smiling at how recent events were playing out so far. 'I can't believe it…' he said to himself. 'If this plays out all well in the end, I think I'm getting myself two girlfriends when I grow old!' He then pictured himself going on a date with both Xenovia and Irina, which would then lead to the bedroom for some _hot_ action, which caused him to shake his head furiously and force those images out of his mind.

'No, no, no! Stop thinking about it, idiot!' he berated himself. 'You're still a teenager, for God's sake! A very _horny_ teenager with two beautiful bombshells… ARGH! Okay! Just stop thinking about it and it'll go away eventually! Just… stop… thinking… about… OUCH!' he was then cut off from his thoughts when he felt somebody pull on his ear in a harsh way.

Turning his head to the side, he then saw his younger sister with a scowl on her face, looking annoyed with him as she pulled on his ear even harder, causing him to wince in pain that got Irina and Xenovia to turn their heads towards him, and both girls widened their eyes that Koneko Toujou was here with them.

'Wait, how the hell did Koneko follow me all the way here?' he asked himself. 'Was she tailing me since earlier? If that's the case, she must've — SHIT!' he started to flash a sheepish grin upon seeing his sister's scowl. 'Crap, she's gonna kill me for this… she must have figured out now that I'm in a band without telling her or Okaa-san and Otou-san…'

"Onii-chan," the young girl began, trying to suppress her growing anger at the moment. "Mind explaining to me what is going on here? What's this about you joining a band that Xenovia-neechan and Irina-neechan knew about but didn't tell your own family about it?"

Issei started to laugh sheepishly in response, wondering how should he explain all of this to his little sister.

"Ehehehe… Koneko, I can explain all of this… but can you let go of me first? I promise I won't run away when you do and I will tell you everything you want to know after, I promise!" he pleaded, before the girl punched him straight in the gut, causing him to drop to the ground in pain as Koneko let go of his ear.

"That would ensure that you're not going to try and run away, Onii-chan…" Koneko muttered, crossing her arms in the process. "Now, explain. What is going on here and why haven't you told your own family about everything that's happening? You do know that you're not supposed to be hiding secrets from us, right?"

The brown-haired boy gulped slightly as he turned his head over to Irina, silently asking for her help. But she wouldn't have any of it as she crossed her arms and smirked. "You're on your own here, Ise-kun. Koneko-chan would understand you more because you're family, and you know that. But don't worry! I'll still be here to support you in case you get pummeled again!" she mocked, hiding a feint smile under her sarcastic laughter.

'Traitor,' Issei thought to himself upon seeing Irina's response.

While she was watching how this would unfold between the two siblings, Xenovia walked closer towards her best friend and started to speak in a low tone into her ear.

"Are you taking revenge for how Ise teased you earlier, Irina?"

In contrast to how she was acting just a few seconds ago, Irina shook her head and smiled. "No, not really… I just feel like this is something that Ise-kun needs to resolve on his own. Koneko-chan is Ise-kun's loving sister, and she's very supportive of him, even though she doesn't look like she is. Ise-kun won't need my help in explaining things here, because I believe that he can do it all on his own and I believe that his own family will support him in his decision to join this band!"

Xenovia nodded her head a few times in understanding. "I see… I thought you were pointing out that you would let Koneko be with Ise as well since you described her as 'loving'… is that possible, though? Two siblings being together romantically?"

Irina's face went red almost immediately and turned her attention to her friend and shaking her head furiously. "No, no, no, it's not like that, Xenovia!" she denied, wanting to clear up things before the bluenette could even come up with irrational topics. "Koneko-chan can't be with Ise-kun, Xenovia! Siblings aren't supposed to love each other in _that_ way, get it? Besides, Koneko-chan is way too young for romance! She has studies to attend to first!"

Unbeknownst to the two girls, Koneko managed to hear every single word that came out from their mouths. Hearing Irina say that she can't be with her own brother got the young teenager to clench her left fist lightly, pissed off with that particular fact. It was true, because she was Issei's younger sister, she can't possibly take her relationship with him to a new level. Koneko always kept it to herself, but there had been times where she hoped that she wasn't siblings with Issei just so she could be with him like Irina, but one particular side of her decided against that. Her 'younger sister' was always clashing with her other mindset, as she couldn't help but look at her own brother with romantic eyes sometimes.

One scenario included her catching a severe fever last year that made her unable to attend school for two weeks. Koneko rarely got sick, and that time was one of the instances that she did. Throughout the course of two weeks, Issei mainly took care of her and it even reached to the point that he didn't attend school just to make sure her temparature would go down. It was one of the few times that Koneko looked at Issei not as an older brother, but as someone who cared for her and will help her in times of need; it was also one of the times that she felt a different kind of love for him.

However, she knew that that would never happen since they were siblings, so she simply hides what she feels in an emotionless mask, despite being envious of what Issei and Irina had. Shaking her head to get these forbidden thoughts off her mind, Koneko turned her attention towards Issei once again, remembering that she hasn't received an answer from him yet.

"Well, onii-chan?" she spoke, placing her right hand on her hip. "You still haven't given me an answer. What is going on here and why haven't you told us about it? You better answer me now or you're getting your ear torn off."

Issei paled and covered his right ear as if he was protecting it; he knew that his sister had enough strength to do just that, which was scary. "P-Promise that you'll hear me out?" he asked nervously. It was quite ironic to see the older brother afraid of his younger sister during times like this. "I think… this won't be really… hard to take, Koneko."

"Just make sure that you won't try to lie to me, onii-chan…" Koneko reminded. "Because I will be able to find out if you are, and that will lead you to getting grounded once okaa-san and otou-san find out about you lying behind our backs."

"Okay, well… to put it simply, I'm a part of a band now, Koneko…" he began. "No actually, this all started about three days ago, when I was heading home from school, I found a yellow flyer that was looking for people to audition to be the vocalist of a band… Xenovia, is there any chance that you still have that flyer?" he asked, turning his attention to the blue-haired teenager.

"Here, Ise." She reached inside her right pocket and took out a folded piece if yellow paper, before giving it to the boy, who in turn, unfolded it and gave it to Koneko for her to read.

After only a few seconds of reading, the white-haired girl turned her eyes back towards her brother again. "So you decided to join this band called 'Devils' Cross', onii-chan?" she asked, looking up from the yellow flyer and Issei nodded in response. "Okay, then what happened after you got this flyer?"

The older boy scratched his head before he continued speaking. "Well, I think the day after that, which was yesterday, I left for the audition which was going to happen in this place. That was the time when you were out with your classmates, Koneko… so we didn't see each other yesterday. I got accepted after my audition… and then, our first practice was supposed to be held today… and I think, that's about it! Please don't kill me…"

"Supposed to be held today? You mean, you weren't able to practice?" Koneko asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Yeah, that's pretty much everything summed up… but, if you really want to know the reason, it's because today was —" before he could explain any further, Koneko had raised her right hand to stop her brother from speaking.

A few seconds passed, and the young girl finally let out a sigh of slight annoyance, a bit annoyed that she had to be the mature one between her and Issei. "It would be better if you tell the whole story in front of okaa-san and otou-san when we get home, onii-chan…" she said, rubbing her forehead with her hand. "I'm sure they would want to hear you while you explain things."

"Hehe, good point…" Issei remarked in a sheepish way, rubbing the back of his head in embarrassment. "So, do you want to go home now, Koneko? Xenovia and Irina can join us on the way because I don't want to make their parents worried about them."

The look on Koneko's face softened into an expression of curiosity. "But don't you have band practice today? I can wait for you to finish, onii-chan." she said, worried that her brother might have felt emotionally down with her scolding, which was something that she had no intention of doing.

"No, there's no practice that's gonna be held today, Koneko… don't worry about it, and like you said, I'm explaining everything later on," he assured her, patting her head in the process which caused the young girl to blush slightly at his touch, yet she managed to hide it from her brother. When she was acting as a lovable younger sister towards Issei, she wasn't ashamed of showing it but when she gets reminded of her _forbidden_ attraction towards him, she often gets embarrassed, which was something that was rarely seen from the girl since she was supposed to be the mature one.

"I'm just going to grab my guitar inside the house and then we'll head home. And then along the way, I'll buy you some sweets, what do you say?" he asked with a grin.

Koneko's eyes suddenly widened slightly for a second before she a wide smile appeared on her side. No matter what situation she was in, sweets were always the one thing that kept her happy.

"Yes! Yes, I'd love to, onii-chan!" she exclaimed out of nowhere, reverting back to her 'younger sister' self as she wrapped her arms around Issei's waist and hugged him tightly, which only caused the boy to chuckle in response.

"Aw, I wonder what it's like to have a younger sibling like Koneko-chan…" said Irina, her mind drifting to her own imagination as she thought about a possible younger sister/brother for her. "I hope he or she will be just as cute and likable like Koneko-chan!"

"If I had a sibling, I would train him until he becomes as strong as me in fighting!" Xenovia declared with a proud smirk as Irina sweat-dropped because her friend was quite the brawler/fighter and is a bit obsessed with becoming stronger since her daily exercise could be compared to that of a professional boxer's.

"Okay, just wait for me, then!" Issei exclaimed, letting go of Koneko as he rushed back inside Ray's house to retrieve his guitar. "Just gonna say goodbye to a few people too!"

While she watched her brother head back inside the house, Koneko was then approached by her two sister-figures from behind, with the chestnut-haired teen resting her hand on the girl's soft shoulder as she looked up at her.

"Try not to be too hard on Ise-kun, will you Koneko-chan?" Irina asked in a gentle tone while smiling. "He had good intentions all this time, and I'm pretty sure that he didn't plan to hide it from you nor your parents. Trust me, Koneko-chan. You know that Ise-kun would never betray the trust of the people he loves."

Koneko's eyes widened slightly at hearing the older girl's words before she smiled slightly and turned her attention back towards the house, waiting for her brother to finally leave so that they can go home.

* * *

"So you went to a band audition yesterday when you said you were going to hang out with Irina and Xenovia?" Taiji Hyoudou asked, cocking an eyebrow as he ate through his food. After a quick stop at a candy shop and escorting Irina and Xenovia to their houses, the two siblings finally went home just in time for lunch, where Koneko revealed that her brother just joined a band. Although both their parents were surprised with what their daughter just told them, Kazumi insisted that Issei should explain over lunch.

"Erhm, yeah…" he replied nervously, a bit afraid of what his parents would say now that they found out that their son was hiding secrets from them.

"And you got accepted?" the older man continued in a tone that signified interest, but his expression remained serious.

Issei nodded, too afraid to even blurt out one word. 'Crap, this is it…' he thought to himself, his skin turning white out of fear. 'Tou-san's gonna be so pisssd with me… I better get ready to call Azazel and tell him to find another vocalist for the job… because I don't think I can go to band practice tomorrow…'

"Hmm… then all I have to say is…" The serious look on Taiji's face suddenly disappeared and was replaced with a childish grin as he laughed heartily. "This is good! With you in a band, I'm sure that you won't mope around at home all day!"

"HUH?!" Issei deadpanned before he heard his mother speaking.

"Oh, Ise-chan, if you thought that we were going to be angry with you, we're not!" Kazumi giggled, patting her son on his back a couple of times which caused him to have a displeased look on his face, feeling that he was bamboozled by his own parents. "At least you attended your band practice today! That was the reason why you left so early, right?"

"That… well, I…" Issei tried to say, wondering how would he relay today's events to his whole family, including his new bandmates and Azazel's problem regarding his company.

"Onii-chan said that there was no band practice for him today…" Koneko revealed, eating a spoonful of her dessert, which was mint-flavored ice cream. "He said that he would explain everything to us once we got home too."

"What? No band practice today? Then why leave the house early if you had nothing to do?" the woman turned her eyes from Koneko back to her son, curiosity lingering in her gaze.

After being the subject of Koneko's harsh look once more, Issei finally took a deep breath and willed himself to be able to explain everything to everyone in this house. "Well, like Koneko already said, I came across a flyer that promoted an audition to be the vocalist of a band called 'DxD'… the guy behind the band is Azazel McGoat… and before you even laugh at his name, yes, I know it's funny because I also laughed when I heard it the first time…" he said, trying to stifle a chuckle upon mentioning Azazel's surname and just like he predicted, his mother and father were already laughing upon hearing it and even Koneko, who was mostly stoic and emotionless, had to cover her mouth with her right hand to hold in her giggle.

Shaking his head, Issei then decided to continue in his words. "Anyway, as I was saying, Azazel was the name of the guy behind the whole band. During the audition yesterday, he introduced me, Irina, and Xenovia to his surrogate daughter,Yuuma Amano, before the audition itself. And then, he accepted me without even thinking about it and told me that our first practice was supposed to be held today. So fast forward, I went to his house early with Irina and Xenovia again, and that's when I met my two fellow bandmates." He then stopped right there, wondering how would he put the next events that happened into words.

"What happened next? Did you have your practice or not?" Taiji asked, wanting to know what exactly happened earlier with his son.

"Uhm, please don't be angry at anyone… but we didn't have any practice earlier." Before anyone could even react to his words, he immediately took action. "There's an explanation for it, though! It turned out that Azazel was a rich dude back then, but he lost his company to some guy he didn't mention because of, some ways I don't have any idea about… he told me and my bandmates earlier that our band practice was moved tomorrow because he was off to court to fight for the ownership of his company… and then, that's about everything that happened," he finished, eating a bit of his food and then silence was what met them for a few seconds afterwards.

"Well, since you're gonna be leaving early tomorrow too, Koneko-chan should come with you!" Kazumi said out of nowhere, causing Issei to widen his eyes out of shock, Taiji to nod in approval and Koneko to turn her head to the woman since she heard her name get called. "This'll be good, then! If Koneko-chan comes along with your practice, she can get to know your bandmates better and see if they're good in music like you! And in this way, she can watch over you to make sure you won't get into any trouble, Ise-chan."

"Yeah, I agree… no offense to you, son, but I would be more comfortable with it if your sister was watching over you!" Taiji exclaimed.

"Wait, wait, what?" Now the brown-haired teenager was thoroughly confused. "You two are fine with me joining a band?" he deadpanned.

"Listen, Ise-chan…" his mother began, her eyes softening its gaze. "We don't have any problem with you joining a band, only abusive parents do that! Like your father said, this would be a good way for you to get out of the house and spend some time for yourself. Although we didn't like the fact that you didn't tell us about this sooner," the sharp look on her face softened as well. "What makes you happy will make us happy as well, okay?"

"Yeah, and who knows? Someday, your band might go viral on the internet and then you'll become insanely popular, and we'll finally be rich when that time comes! HAHAHAHAHA!" Taiji continued, bursting into a fit of boisterous laughter, which ended too soon when his wife sent him a knowing glare, causing him to grin nervously.

"Anyway, we're trying to say that we're fine with you being in a band, Ise-chan… do whatever you think that will make you happy, okay? We'll be there to support you when you need it!" the woman sent him a thumbs-up.

"Y-You guys…" he muttered, tears threatening to fall from his eyes.

"Now, now, there's no need to break down into tears, Ise-chan… we fully understand —" Taiji tried to stop his son, which ultimately failed when Issei started to shed anime tears that made both him and his wife sweat-drop.

"YOU GUYS ARE THE BEST! I LOVE YOU SO MUCH!" Issei said with tears flowing out of his eyes. "I PROMISE THAT I WILL DO WHATEVER IT TAKES TO MAKE YOU GUYS PROUD! I SWEAR I WON'T KEEP A SECRET FROM ANY OF YOU EVWR AGAIN! I WILL DO WHATEVER —!" he was then cut off from his words when Koneko smacked him in the head, leaving a tomato-sized bump on top of it with smoke emitting from the young girl's fist.

"Behave when you're eating at the table, onii-chan." she said bluntly with a small smirk, continuing on eating her food as if nothing happened.

"G-Got it…" he replied weakly, his head slumping on top of the wooden table.

"Okay, moving on…" their mother said, wanting to change the atmosphere before it becomes anything worse. "We're fine with it, like we said… but don't hesitate to tell us if you need help with your band problems because they are bound to happen eventually, like if ever you need a new guitar. If you need one, tell us and we'll buy you a new one, okay? We'll be here to support you."

"I appreciate it, okaa-san… and thank you for understanding," Issei replied normally, his earlier antics being completely forgotten as he continued on eating. "By the way, my guitar is still as good as ever, so you don't have to worry about a new one yet. And since I'm pretty much going to sing most of the time, I doubt I'll be needing a new guitar anytime soon," he joked, causing the whole family to laugh heartily that even Koneko joined along.

"Koneko, you're fine in going with your brother to his practice tomorrow, right?" Taiji asked the young girl afterwards. "You'll meet his bandmates and this Azazel person if you do, and this'll be good for you to make new friends!"

The white-haired girl didn't hesitate to nod as a faint blush appeared on her cheeks. "I will accompany onii-chan tomorrow, otou-san. I promise that he won't get into any trouble while he is with me," she stated firmly, yet it was different in her mind.

'I'm going with onii-chan tomorrow…' she said to herself as she hid a smile from her family.

"Well, that settles it!" Kazumi exclaimed, clasping her hands together as she closed her eyes in happiness. "Our little boy is finally taking the next step into the world of music!" Issei could be visibly seen blushing at her words. "I'll have to wake up tomorrow really early to cook breakfast for you two, then!"

"Riiigghhtt…" said the brown-haired teenager as he wiped his mouth with a table napkin before he stood up from his seat. "Well, anyway, I'm going to go feed Ddraig… I'm pretty sure that he's starving outside," he said, starting to walk towards the front door.

"Be careful, son! You might get molested by that mutt as well!" Taiji joked, which only caused both him and Issei to laugh at that fact, since Ddraig loved to sniff out women's breasts. "Oh, that's right! Did anything else happen today, Koneko?" he turned his attention to his daughter with a smile. "Something worth mentioning?"

Koneko looked up from the ice cream she was eating as she glanced at her brother. In a surprising action, she started to giggle in a mischievous way before she finally spoke up again.

"Yes, otou-san…" she started, drinking some water from her glass. "Xenovia-neechan confessed her feelings to onii-chan earlier and Irina-neechan said that she was fine with sharing one boy with her best friend."

Issei's eyes snapped wide open as he stopped in his tracks, turning his head back in shock to hear another one of his secrets get exposed. 'KONEKO! WHY WOULD YOU SAY THAT IN FRONT OF OUR PARENTS?!' he said to himself, terrified. 'Oh no…'

Taiji and Kazumi's mouths hung open at hearing the girl's words as their eyes widened to the size of saucers, silence taking over the whole place and nobody dared to move for a few seconds. Issei took advantage of it and begun to slowly walk away, which ended too soon when his father's signature laugh was heard all over the room.

"HAHAHAHAHAHAHA! MY SON NOW HAS A HAREM!" the older man yelled out as if he just won the local lottery, anime tears streaming from his eyes. "YOU'RE JUST LIKE YOUR OLD MAN, ISE… I was quite the charmer when I was in your age back then… BUT I NEVER HAD THE COURAGE TO DATE TWO WOMEN AT THE SAME TIME! Oh, I'm so proud of you…"

Issei sweat-dropped at his father's words but then he started to sweat nervously when Kazumi's harsh glare was set upon him.

"Ise, we're going to have a talk about this…" she stated in a usual mother's voice about to discipline her children.

The boy sighed as he knew this day wasn't really going to end well for him like what he had imagined. He then turned his attention towards Koneko, who stuck her tongue at him for a quick second before she went back to finishing her ice cream, and all Issei could do was simply groan in annoyance.

'Sometimes, I don't really get how she can be both cute and annoying at the same time…' he complained in his head.

* * *

With Koneko, Irina, and Xenovia just walking behind him from a distance, Issei Hyoudou led the way towards Azazel and Ray's house early in the morning. Dressed in a simple shirt and pants, he opted not to bring his guitar since he figured that it won't be necessary for him to do such a thing because he was the main singer of the band. The three girls following him were all wearing casual clothes, and half of their attention was focused on Issei and his plans for the day if in case, the practice was going to be postponed for the second time.

"Ise, are your parents really fine with our situation?" asked Xenovia in surprising fashion, since she wasn't the type of person to start a conversation.

"I told you… it's fine with them, so you don't have to worry about our relationship," he said while chuckling, finding a bit funny that the bluenette was still quite anxious about her future with Issei. After having a heartfelt conversation yesterday with his parents, they were fine with Xenovia dating Issei after graduation alongside Irina, as long as Issei would never think of leaving them and to be responsible for their safety and well-being. Although the three would still have to talk to Touji, Linda (Irina's mom), and Griselda about it so that everything would be resolved afterwards.

"I'm sorry, but I can't help but feel like I'm meddling with your relationship with Irina…" she sighed, while Issei only laughed slightly in response.

"Well, you're going to have to get used to the two of us, Xenovia…" said Irina, injecting herself into the conversation with a warm smile. "You wanted to be with Ise-kun, so you'll be with him. No turning back!" she stuck her tongue out at her friend, who only blushed in response out of embarrassment.

"Come on Irina, don't tease her like that…" said Issei, shaking his head in amusement. "Xenovia's not used to this harem thing yet because she thought that only two people can be involved in a single relationship… just let her adjust on her own."

Irina smirked at her childhood friend before she started to speak. "Hmm, you seem to be okay with this whole situation, Ise-kun…" she giggled mischievously. "Could it be that you wanted to date both me and Xenovia from the beginning?"

"HELL NO!" he denied without hesitation. "I only noticed Xenovia when she started to act weird around me back then, and you had all my attention that time. I wasn't even thinking about getting a second girlfriend once we start dating, so this joke's on you, Irina!"

The situation right now had reversed indeed, because the twin-tailed girl was now blushing in embarrassment due to Issei's words. All of a sudden, Xenovia had started to laugh slightly and was soon joined by Issei, causing Irina to blow steam out of her ears and hide her face from everyone else.

"I hate both of you…" she groaned out.

Unfortunately, this little comedy sitcom would be ended too soon when Koneko cleared her throat quite loudly to get everyone's attention; the red tint on Irina's face disappeared while Issei and Xenovia stopped laughing so they could pay attention to whatever the young girl would say. To their surprise, she had taken the lead in heading towards their destination, much because the three teenagers were busy tending to their own personal world.

"What is it, Koneko?" Issei asked with a raised eyebrow. "Something wrong?"

Koneko then stopped walking all of a sudden, which caused the others to freeze in their tracks as well as she turned her head to look at them. "I don't care if you three have your own personal world where you can flirt with the two of them, onii-chan… but if I remember correctly, the house just up ahead is where your practice will happen, am I right?"

No words came out of Issei's mouth nor from the two girls that were conversing with him just a few seconds ago as the white-haired girl pointed to the black house in front of them, and they were just a few steps away from reaching its gate.

"I'm gonna take your silence as a 'yes', onii-chan…" she shrugged before continuing on her way towards Azazel's house.

Issei, Xenovia, and Irina first looked at each other for a few seconds before the two girls rushed after Koneko out of embarrassment, leaving the boy frozen in his place, sweat-dropping at what just happened.

'Koneko can be so intimidating as well… now, I'm embarrassed as hell…' he sighed to himself in exasperation, before continuing on his way.

* * *

Like the way it was during the past days, Issei knocked on the wooden door, waiting for Azazel or Ray to open it so they could get inside. He then prepared to knock for the second time since he knew that it took time for either Azazel or his daughter to answer since they were probably both busy with videogames. However, after only a few seconds, surprisingly, the door was opened for them which immediately got Issei confused.

"Hey, Azazel… you're pretty quick today!" he teased with a little smirk. "What happened? Ray beat you on something that —" he stopped himself from speaking upon seeing that the person who just opened the door wasn't quite whom he was expecting to see.

"Vali?"

"'Sup?" the silver-haired boy said in a nonchalant tone. Vali stood in front of the whole group wearing the same pants that he wore yesterday, but he had a blue shirt on and he wasn't wearing his jacket. He had the same neutral look on his face, as if he didn't care about the world itself.

"Woah, I didn't expect to see you here so early… I thought you'd be late since you were quite the sleeper yesterday," Issei said, rubbing the back of his head.

Vali shrugged his shoulders before he yawned. "I still am, actually… but who cares? My bedroom here is air-conditioned and I can sleep more comfortably on the bed there. After practice, I think I'm going to catch a few winks then…"

Issei sweat-dropped. "Um, did you just claim that the guest room is your bedroom here?" he asked rhetorically before reverting back to his original tone. "Man, I can't imagine what kind of busy life you have because you're a —"

"Vali-kun! Who is the girl riding on your shoulders?" Irina exclaimed, cutting Issei off mid-sentence and gaining everyone's attention in the process.

Indeed, the girl was noticed just now; she was sitting on top of Vali's shoulders, but the teenage boy himself looked like he didn't even care at all. The girl had a voluptuous figure, long black hair which split into two bangs, and hazel-gold eyes with cat-like pupils. She was wearing dark green leggings and a blue hoodie with a white shirt underneath. She was also wearing a headband with cat ears and normal running shoes.

"Hey, I didn't notice her!" said Issei, raising an eyebrow in confusion. "Vali, who's that girl on your shoulders?"

"Nyaa!" she exclaimed, mimicking a cat with her right hand as she played with Vali's hair. "Hello there, my name is Kuroka Noihara, Vali's good friend in school. First thinga first, I like cats, because they're so _purr_ -fect… Nya, I'm also Vali's soon-to-be girlfriend!"

"I don't think you should've said it because it's way too obvious that you're obsessed with felines…" Irina muttered to herself while sweat-dropping.

"Uh, not to be rude or something, but you two seem to be more of an odd couple…" he said nervously, noticing immediately just how different this girl was compared to Vali.

"Ooh, you must be the Issei he talked about earlier…" she said, placing her hand on her mouth to hide a mischievous smile. "Oh, you're such a cutie and an honest boy, but sadly, I'm already with Vali… and I don't intend to fall for anyone else…"

Issei deadpanned. "Hey, listen here! I'm not interested in your games, so will you cut it out? Why the hell would I want you to fall for me, when I just met you? Besides, I think I've had enough girls for now…" he grumbled, crossing his arms before looking away.

"You're too easy to get embarrassed, Ise-kun…" she giggled. "I don't think that this would be the last time that I'll be having fun with you. Consider this the start of a wonderful friendship!"

Just when Xenovia was about to step in to defend Issei, Vali intervened with a straight tone. "Ignore her. Come on inside… Kiba is the only one who hasn't arrived yet," he said as he walked back inside with Kuroka still riding on his shoulders.

"He can carry her while still walking?" said Irina, her mouth dropping a little bit in surprise because of how calm Vali looked while a teenager was on his shoulders.

"What a strong man… I think I should challenge him sometime… it would be good to fight against somebody of my age who is also a skilled fighter!" said Xenovia, slamming her fist down on her palm.

"Well, if you want to fight me, just say the word…" Vali chuckled, much to almost everyone's surprise as he headed to the kitchen to get some water from the refrigerator. "You're a different one… I like to fight people in both unarmed and armed combat as an exercise and to relax, but I never had the interest to take up martial arts! Probably because I liked to play music a little more."

"Excellent! I have a real sparring partner now! Irina, can you really believe this is happening?" Xenovia turned to her friend with a smile on her face.

"Uh, I can't?" Irina replied as she shifted in her position on the couch, unsure of what to really say as an answer.

"Griselda will be delighted when she hears that I have someone to fight against! Normally, boys would stay away from me, right? I may have found the perfect rival!" Yep, Xenovia was definitely a fight freak like Vali that got Issei, Irina, and even Koneko to sweat-drop.

"Haha, I like that girl with you, Hyoudou… she's got spunk, " said Vali, having returned to the living room, drinking from a glass of water. "She's got guts to face me despite people always saying that guys shouldn't pick on girls. Bring her with you more often during band practice, it'd be good for me to relax after every session we have."

Before Issei could even answer however, he then noticed that Kuroka was still sitting on top of Vali's shoulders and the guy wasn't even flinching or wobbling because it's been more than a few minutes now that his classmate in school was still riding on him like a child. Kuroka was eating a popsicle that she might have gotten from the freezer, yet Vali was acting like he wasn't even carrying her.

"Woah, how the hell can you still walk with her on your shoulders?" Issei asked, impressed with the guitarist's little feat of strength while Kuroka kept on playing with Vali's silver hair as she pretended to be a sailor voyaging out on sea.

Vali set aside his glass at the small table in the middle of the living room as he turned back towards Issei. "I work out every morning. Got a problem?" he asked with a smirk, clearly enjoying that he could insult the brown-haired vocalist without even letting him insult back.

Issei shook his head almost instantly in response. "No!" he denied, looking to the side because he felt like he was getting insulted or something.

"Ooh, you should see Vali when he works out!" Kuroka purred, flashing a sultry smile. "His body is soooo hot and he's dreamy! I love his abs too! I don't think I'm going to see somebody with his kind of body ever! Nobody beats my beloved Vali!"

A large bead of sweat fell down Irina's back as her face fell. "This girl is pretty clingy, if I have to say it… she's almost like a crazy, obsessed, stalking fangirl to me…" she muttered to herself.

Issei scratched the back of his head, feeling that he was being misunderstood. "I get that, but… aren't you affected even a little bit?" The brunette took a second to look at Kuroka's body figure. "She's gotta be heavy or something… right, Vali?"

Vali's eyes snapped open almost immediately.

"You better take cover, Hyoudou."

"Huh?"

 **SLASH! SLASH! SLASH! SLASH! SLASH!**

"I feel ya, Hyoudou…" said Vali, shaking his head to wipe off a certain memory from his mind. "I still remember the day when I suggested that Kuroka should take a diet, good thing I sustained no scratches or wounds."

"I-Is that so?" Issei's weak voice while being down on the floor replied.

"Anyway, I'm going to go fetch Azazel and Yuuma from their rooms… they have been playing against each other ever since I arrived… keep an eye out for Kiba as well… he might arrive at any moment," Vali stated as he headed for the stairs with Kuroka sticking her tongue out at a certain brunette on the floor.

"You do know that Ray doesn't like getting addressed through that name, right?" Issei asked in an attempt to get back at Vali for insulting him.

"Maybe, but she doesn't have the guts to stop me…" the silver-haired boy replied with a smirk, confident that he stopped Issei's intended insult. "Oh well, it's just me calling her through that name, and no one else… later, Hyoudou." he finished, heading up to the second floor.

Irina, who was the closest person to Issei, knelt down and shook her head left and right repeatedly. "Ise-kun, you should never talk about a girl's weight… that's one of the top rules when it comes to dealing with girls. I'd do that to you too, you know… so don't even try to," she finished in a menacing voice.

Koneko snickered as she stepped forward from the same place she had been standing on since earlier. "As will I. You'll get more than just simple scratches if I ever hear you talk about how heavy I am…" she threatened with a small smirk.

"I don't understand at all… being fat is supposed to be an insult?" Xenovia asked rhetorically as she patted her own stomach. "The last time I checked, I was about average…"

Issei, who was lying on the floor with many scratch marks on his face and the shock still clearly seen on his face, before he finally nodded slowly as rivers of anime tears continued flowing down his face.

"I… I got it…" he weakly said with a goofy grin.

* * *

"This is for you three," Azazel said as he handed out three sheets of paper to Yuuto, Issei, and Vali as the three of them were sitting on the couch comfortably. They were just hiding their emotions from everyone else, but they were actually excited now that their music sheets were finally given to them. Today would mark their first official practice as a band and they were just formed yesterday!

As soon as Vali went upstairs to inform Azazel that Issei and his friends have arrived, Kiba walked inside the house with his usual smile that immediately got Issei to rise back up to his feet despite his face filled with scratches courtesy of Kuroka herself. Upon seeing his face, the blonde-haired drummer couldn't help but chuckle at how unfortunate Issei's luck had been today. Issei then proceeded to introduce Koneko to him since it was the first time that they have met before Azazel walked out of his room with Vali and Kuroka. Ray had also stepped out of her room at that moment, and that was how things went on from there.

"Demons?" Issei asked upon reading the title of the song. "This sheet contains the whole song already? No waiting around or anything?"

Azazel shook his head in response. "That's the whole song, Issei… and it's been ready to use ever since three months ago. I told you that I would be making your life as a whole band easier yesterday, remember? I'm just keeping my promise."

"But who composed the lyrics? This song is pretty emotional if you analyzed and understood every part of it…" Vali asked, studying the chords that were shown on his sheet.

"Well, if you want to know, most of the lyrics there came from me and Sirzechs teaming up… and then the finishing touches were from Ray-ray," he shrugged, not really deeming it as an important matter.

"I never would have thought that onii-sama could be capable of such a thing… to think that he actually composed a song," said Kiba in slight surprise.

"Ah, whatever… that lazy redhead never did much, anyway…" Azazel waved him off, laughing in the end. "While I worked my ass off day and night just to think of what would be the perfect word for each stanza, he just chilled at your home or the couch here, giving his opinion on what I come up with."

"Oh. Well, I am not really surprised. Onii-sama is most likely the laziest member of our family," Yuuto chuckled in the end, thinking about his brother and how he dealt with everyday life in their residence. "When he's tasked to do household chores, all the maids attend to him instead."

"Okay, that's enough, Yuuto…" The black-haired man turned back towards Vali and Issei and decided to get things going. "Anyway, since you three officially are members of DxD, this means that you are going to have to watch each other's backs and work together all the time. I don't care if you three can't work together because you just had an argument or something, because that doesn't matter here. You three are basically like brothers from now on, and me, Ray-ray, and all the others are here as your family, to help you whenever you need it. Is that clear?"

Yuuto nodded; Issei and Vali first looked at each other before they nodded as well, agreeing with Azazel's words.

"Good. That's step one off our backs… now, let's move to step two of today's practice. First and foremost, one of the most important things to consider in a band is of course, the song you're about to perform. Tell me, you don't know how this song is sung yet, right?"

"No," the three said altogether.

"The normal thing for bandmates to do when they're unfamiliar with the song they are going to perform is by singing it together. In this case, you three are going to sing this whole song out and familiarize yourself with its tempo, volume, and lyrics. Don't worry, we don't have any time limit here so you three can keep on singing until you have fully synchronized with the song, because that's our goal for today."

"Wow, you sure know a lot about music, Azazel…" Issei praised, flashing a small grin out of amazement.

"There are a lot of things that you still don't know about me, Issei… but for now, we're going to start practicing the song lyric by lyric to familiarize yourself with it. It's just a 3-minute song when it's done properly, so don't worry about late night practice, because we're taking this easy to begin with. But in order for you three to sing along, we'll need to have one instrument to help you with the song tune. Vali?"

"Yes?" the silver-haired boy replied, his attention fully directed towards Azazel because he wanted to take this seriously.

"Can you play the song's chords on your guitar? If I'm not mistaken, the chords are also shown on the sheet music I gave you?"

"They are…" he then stood up from his seat and started to dash towards the guest room. "Let me just get my guitar. This will only take a few seconds, excuse me…" he said, leaving all the others in the living room.

"What about me? I'm not going to be playing any drums?" asked Yuuto, raising an eyebrow slightly. "This song is not too hard to memorize and master."

"I appreciate the effort, Yuuto…" Azazel stated with a warm smile. "But this is only our first day in practice, so there's no need to pressure yourself. Besides, once I get back my company, I'm gonna buy you an all-new drum set instead of using my old one in the garage… now, doesn't that sound better?"

Yuuto smiled at him. "Yes, it is… thank you for giving me this chance, Azazel. I will not let you down and I will do my best for the band. I promise you that, as I want to make otou-sama and okaa-sama proud as well. I also want to make onee-sama proud of me, and I will do whatever it takes for that to happen."

"Haha, don't mention it, pretty boy… Sirzechs always helps me whenever I needed it, and this doesn't even cover everything he's done for me yet."

No more than a few seconds later, Vali came rushing back into the living room with his guitar strapped to his body. As soon as he went back to his seat in the couch, it was the time that Azazel began to speak once again.

"Okay, now that Vali is back with his guitar, we can now get on with the real deal… he will play the intro of the song first for a few times because it is absolutely needed that you know just when you are about to start singing. Do you get what I'm saying? Yuuto? Issei?" After seeing the other two band members, he turned his attention to the silver-haired boy alone. "Vali, will you please?"

No further words were spoken.

Meanwhile, watching from the second floor were all the girls inside the house at the moment, including Ray, Xenovia, Irina, Kuroka, and Koneko. They have been up there ever since the band's practice had started, and they were all watching the three members down below with smiles on their faces, and Irina's smile reflected what she felt inside for her love.

"Ise-kun… I knew that this would be the right choice for you," she muttered, remembering that she, along with Xenovia, were the two people who encouraged Issei to try out for the audition, but little did she know that it would lead to this. "I can already tell!" she exclaimed in order for the others to hear her. "This is going to be the start of something wonderful not just for those three down there, but also for all of us… I might sound crazy to you, but I really think that this was the right decision that Ise-kun made… who knew that it would all lead to this?" she finished in a rhetorical manner.

"I agree," Ray added, crossing her arms under her impressive bust before she smirked. For what seemed like the first time ever, she wasn't holding any gaming console in her hand because her attention was clearly set on the three boys down below. "I'll admit, I'm glad that dad chose Ise… he seems like the perfect guy for this… I think he'll be the thing that will keep DxD together. Kiba is too much of a gentleman while Vali is more aggressive than he looks. Ise fits somewhere between there, in my opinion. Although, I'd never expect that Ise himself has a harem…" she started to giggle befoe her sights turned towards Xenovia.

After seeing the look on Ray's eyes, it told Xenovia the whole story; somehow, Azazel's surrogate found out about her improved relationship with Issei without even admitting it.

"How did you know?" was her short and simple question.

A wide smile appeared on the black-haired girl's face as she patted Xenovia on her shoulder while chuckling. "Let's just say I've been keeping an eye on you three ever since Ise got accepted into DxD. I'm not just a gamer, sister… I'm pretty good in finding out secrets and other hidden information as well… but don't worry! This only stays between the three of us, so you don't have to be embarrassed."

Xenovia's blush only deepened despite her words, because her confession was supposed to be something that stayed between her, Irina, and Issei. She was fine with the brunette's parents finding out for the sake of their relationship getting approved, but she wasn't ready for anybody else finding out just yet. In a flash, Irina was by her side, patting her shoulder just like what Ray was doing.

"Um, make that five of us because me and 'lil kitty over here can hear the three of you quite well," said Kuroka with her arms crossed. "Even so, I never expected that Issei Hyoudou is going out with two girls at the same time… pretty impressive for someone at this age, but still not better than Vali. However, this only means that there's room for plenty in his harem! That includes you, Yuuma-san!" she exclaimed, unafraid of calling Azazel's daughter with her real name because of Vali.

Ray's ears seemed to have picked up the information quite clearly as her cheeks have already reddened in embarrassment. She looked over towards Kuroka with a mortified expression and her mouth fell open slightly.

"W-What are you saying to say, Kuroka-san?!" said Ray out of embarrassment.

"I'm saying that you're feeling an attraction towards Issei Hyoudou… am I right or am I wrong? I think the look on your face says everything, but I'll have to hear it from your mouth first…" Kuroka smirked upon seeing Ray's flustered expression while the latter shook her head and tried to get over her embarrassment.

"Onii-chan is not dating anyone at the moment," Koneko's stern voice stopped the girl beside her from smirking, as it was now replaced by a look of curiosity. "He can only be allowed to once he graduates, and that's only a few months away."

Kuroka shrugged her shoulders and sneaked a glance towards Issei down below. "Sounds fair…" she muttered, before looking back at Koneko. "Hmm, you look so familiar… but I don't think we have ever met before," she remarked.

"What makes you say that?" the young white-haired girl asked, looking up at the person beside her.

"Nothing… it's just that you look like a family member of mine, but she's been dead for over a decade now…" she looked sadly over to the side a for a brief moment before her expression shifted once more. "Anyway, I don't think it'd take a genius to figure out that you also like cats, right? Nya…" she asked.

"I do."

"That's wonderful, nya!" Kuroka then started to ruffle the young girl's hair out of amusement. "Finally, another girl who likes cats just as much as I do! You and I are going to get along really well, Koneko-chan! Nyaa!"

Koneko couldn't help but smile in response.

"Hey, look! They're about to start singing!" Irina exclaimed, earning all of their attention as they looked down below, where Azazel was smiling while he watched his three subordinates work together on the day of their first practice as an official band.

"Ready? On my cue, start singing and I'll follow afterwards…" said Vali as he played the song's chords without any lyrics for the last time, noticing Issei and Kiba nodding as a sign of agreement.

"Now!"

 _When the days are cold_

 _And the cards all fold…_

* * *

 _ **And that wraps this chapter! Damn, this may be the best one I've written so far in this fic! A lot of things happened, including Koneko forcing the trio to spit out the truth, Issei's parents finding about the band and their son's harem, Kuroka's debut, and DxD's first practice as a band. Surely, many of you have questions but we'll have to wait for the next chapter for those to get answered. But to sum it up, these are the main questions that need answers from this chapter.**_

 _ **Who is Kiba's older sister?**_

 _ **Which family member was Kuroka talking about?**_

 _ **Will Koneko ever get her wish to be with her brother?**_

 _ **Does Ray have feelings for Issei?**_

 _ **Harem: Irina, Xenovia, Rossweisse, Ravel, Raynare, Asia, Serafall, Murayama, Katase, Koneko, Le Fay, Rias, Akeno**_

 _ **Potential Members: Sona, Tsubasa, Reya, Tomoe, Kiyome Abe, Kiryuu, Elmenhilde, Seekvaira, Ingvild, Kunou**_

 _ **Discord link: [discord . gg / TGPM9pH]**_

 _ **Leave a kind review if you can! Ask any question you want to ask and I will answer them!**_

 _ **Goodbye... and good night! BANG! *too sweet gesture***_

 _ **-Lance**_


	5. Interlude 00: Irina Shidou

"Normal Talking"

'Thoughts'

Flashbacks

 **"Talking through microphone" / Actions**

 _ **Disclaimer: I don't own Highschool DxD or any of its characters…**_

* * *

" _Ise-kun! Let's play tag! What do you say?"_

" _Sure, Irina! Tag! You're it!"_

" _Oh no, you don't!_

He was always there for me, starting from when we were kids. My family migrated to Japan some years after I was born, according to Papa. It turned out that this country was actually the place where I was born, and we moved to Vatican because Papa had his duties in the church. But then, we had to move again back here in Japan because of some reason I didn't know. Since I was a kid back then, it was hard for me to adjust to a whole new environment here in this country, and there are only a few churches here in Kuoh, which was really disappointing for me.

Well, because ever since I was about 3 years old, I've been involved with the church back in Vatican. Even though I was just a small child, Papa and Mama would show me how to hold a simple candle during mass for the Lord, and it's been that way until I suddenly found out that we're moving a year later.

Not surprisingly, I was a bit angry at my parents that I had to leave Vatican, but what good will it do? Nothing will happen even if I throw all my hatred at them. The best thing to do is try my best to adjust to this new place, but the most appropriate thing I should do is to just accept what's happening and try my hardest to cope with everything here.

And that was when I first met him.

" _Hey, there! Can you show me around here? I'm kind of lost at the moment… what's your name?"_

" _I'm not telling you anything! It's supposed to be ladies first, right? You go first!"_

" _Oh, fine… it's Irina. Irina Shidou. Now, can you tell me your name?"_

" _Sure! I'm Issei Hyoudou. Nice to meet ya, miss! What do you need help with again?"_

Issei was my first friend here in Japan, and I first met him the very next day after we moved to our new home. During that time, I was still distraught by the fact that we're no longer in Vatican and I went to nearest playground to let my head cool off. I didn't know how long I stayed in that place, but long enough to realize that I didn't know my way back. The sun was about to go down, and only a few kids were still at the playground, including me.

Yep, I was lost. And I didn't know what to do.

" _I need help… I'm kind of new around here… do you think you can show me around, Issei?"_

" _You're lost? Okay, I can help you with that! I know about almost every corner of this neighborhood so this won't be a problem!"_

" _Thank you! You're too kind!"_

Yes, I didn't know where our house was located, but I did remember what it looked like.

Thanks to him, I got home before nightfall and I found out that the playground was just about 40 metres away from our house, which kinda gave me the urge to slap myself in the face for being an idiot. I could've found our house on my own just by walking around and looking at every home here, but it did brought something good in the end, though.

I had a friend.

While we were walking around, Issei talked about himself and his family; I have to admit, he's such a funny boy, and I laughed at almost every second while we were together and talking that I nearly forgot that I needed to go home at one point.

" _So, this is goodbye then, Issei… thank you for helping me get back home. If it wasn't for you, I would've never found my way back."_

" _Don't be sad, Irina! We'll meet again, I'm sure of it! This won't be the end for us adventurers!"_

" _R-Really? You think so?"_

" _Of course! We're friends, right? Friends stick together, no matter what! Well, since I know where you live now, how about I go here tomorrow and we'll play again? I know a good place to play in besides the playground!"_

" _Well, I don't know… I'll talk to my parents first, Issei. If they are fine with it, then I'll go with you. Is that fine with you?"_

" _Of course! I'll see you tomorrow afternoon, Irina! I'll be here maybe after lunch or something, I promise. It was nice talking to you!"_

" _See you tomorrow! Issei…"_

He kept his promise, of course. Papa and Mama were fine with it, because they thought it was good for me to make new friends instead of looking bored inside the house for the whole day. When I heard someone knocking at the door, I immediately knew that it would be him. I could feel it in my bones, and I was right! The moment Issei showed up outside the door, I was ready for a new day, and he was by my side.

" _Irina! You're going to study here as well?"_

" _Issei! I-I never knew that this was your school!_

Our friendship continued to grow until the last month of summer ended, and school life was about to begin for me. Throughout the month, my opinion on Japan changed greatly that I didn't feel homesick about Vatican anymore. It's like that problem of mine got washed down the drain and was forgotten when I became friends with Issei. I don't what it is, but there's some part of him that can make you laugh or at least give you a reason to be happy when you're with him, because that's what happened to me. He always knew how to cheer me up during those days and we'd play under the sun until we get tired, before we wrap up our afternoons by talking about our lives before we met each other, as well as the future because I loved to dream about my ambitions and goals in life.

While I was still in Vatican, I had one best friend there, and she was Xenovia Quarta. Although she was a bit blunt and bold in her personality, we got along well and I considered her as my best friend there. But, I think it's safe to say that I found my best friend here in Japan.

It's not that I'm replacing Xenovia in my heart, though! I'd never forget her and I hope that we'll each other again someday. But right now, Issei has been there for me through my life here in Japan.

Especially at school.

" _Well, do you want me to show you around? This whole place is gonna hard to remember, but once I show you where to go and where not to go, it'll be all good!"_

" _Okay, Issei. I'm just glad that my friend is also my classmate. I thought I'd have to wait for you every afternoon just to have fun with you."_

" _To be honest, I'm glad as well! I've never had a girl as a friend before, and you're the first! It's probably because girls are too hard to understand nowadays…"_

" _Heehee, I won't argue with you on that. It's kinda true, and it even applies to me!"_

" _No way!"_

" _Yes way!"_

Our relationship became deeper as the years went by. I was fully convinced that he was now my best friend after Xenovia and he was unlike most boys I've encountered here in Japan. He's funny as heck, he's cute, a bit goofy at times, kind, honest, cheerful, and a bit of a pervert when he gets peeks at my underwear, WHICH IS DEFINITELY EMBARRASSING FOR ME. Other guys in the neighborhood that we live in like to pick on smaller kids and are huge perverts, and I do my best to avoid them. When Issei is with me though, he even goes his way to cover me with his own body as if he's protecting me from them.

I don't know why, but I think my heart feels like it could burst out of my chest every time he does that.

Speaking of Xenovia, Papa told me that Aunt Griselda and her would be moving to Japan as well in only a few weeks. This was perfect! My two best friends in the whole world all in one place! And I could introduce them to each other as well! And after that, we can hang out and play altogether, go to school, and even talk about the future together! I was so excited for Xenovia to finally arrive!

Sadly, it didn't turn out as well as I expected it to be… urgh…

" _Irina, who is this fellow?"_

" _Xenovia, I want you to meet Ise-kun. He's my good friend here in Japan. Ise-kun, this is Xenovia. We've been friends ever since I was still in Vatican. Now, why don't you two shake those hands so we can go get some snacks together?"_

" _Be careful Irina… I sense that this prude right here has some bad intentions."_

" _Hey I'm not plotting anything bad, miss! And what the hell is a prude? I don't get it."_

" _Denying it even further proves that you're guilty, wench! Stay away from Irina or you'll be answering to me! I won't let anybody be a bad influence to my friend!"_

" _Who gives you the right to tell me what to do?! Irina's my friend too and that proves that I'm not a bad guy!"_

" _Uh, guys?"_

Let's just say Xenovia and Issei had a "bumpy" beginning… hehehehe… to be honest, I was kind of expecting this to happen but I wanted to stay optimistic. When we were still in Vatican, Xenovia nearly pummeled every boy who I come across with simply because it's in her mindset that all men are pigs, except for the members of the church. I thought that maybe if I introduced Issei as my friend, she'd at least consider it, but it turns out I was wrong about it.

Anyway, this bumpy relationship between them didn't really last long, because I could tell that Xenovia was slowly becoming weakened by Issei's attitude like I did. As I said, he was unlike any boy I've ever met so far and I'm sure that my best friend is also starting to have these thoughts about him.

Just as I hoped, as more years passed and that we were now in our teens, Xenovia finally warmed up to Issei and treated him like a real friend. I'm happy for them, because I initially thought that it would have to take him to literally take a bullet for her just to earn her trust. Speaking of which, Xenovia joined our school and became our classmate, which allowed the three of us to continue hanging out as close friends without worrying about differences in schedules.

But then I realized something.

Throughout these years, nothing has been on my mind except for Issei. I've done nothing but think and talk about him. Was this normal? Something tell me that it's not, though. Are best friends supposed to act like this? Or am I being too obsessed with him?

Wait, obsessed?

How? It's not like I'm locking him up in my bedroom just to get to be with him forever… I'm not a lovestruck person to do that kind of thing! We're best friends, and we're not love interests or anything! Even if I did like him, I doubt that he'll like me back! He's too silly and goofy to even know a thing about romance, no offense.

But it seems like there was always a counter for my every argument.

" _Are you sure that we're not going to wait for Xenovia? She might get lost here, Irina… and I don't want that to happen."_

" _Oh, stop being such a baby, Ise-kun! Xenovia's been living here for years, so I doubt she would get lost even in this neighborhood alone."_

" _Fine, whatever… all I'm saying is that I don't like to leave my friends behind. Assuming you're right about Xenovia not minding the fact that we left without her, then I guess I have no problem with it."_

" _You worry too much, Ise-kun. Lighten up a bit! Aren't you supposed to be the more cheerful one between us? Now come on, I want us to be the first to go there!"_

" _Irina, wait! Watch out!"_

Apparently, I was _too_ optimistic and cheerful that I didn't notice a rock in front of me. So yeah, I tripped over it and fell to the ground. I know this is supposed to be normal even for teenagers at our age, but that didn't stop me from nearly crying that time.

I forgot; I was lucky that he was there with me, otherwise I would've had to treat this all by myself.

" _Irina, are you okay? Are you hurt?"_

" _What do you think? Of course I'm hurt, idiot! Can't you see that I just tripped over a rock?"_

" _Hang on, I'll carry you to your home… let's get those wounds of yours cleaned up. Old Man Touji would have my head if he sees me with you and your knees at the same time. Just grab onto me."_

" _Wait, what? What are you — EEEEEEP!"_

I haven't felt so embarrassed in my life during that day.

" _Hey, what's the big idea? Put me down, Ise-kun! T-This is too embarrassing!"_

" _Calm down and relax. I'll take care of this. I'll just also tell Xenovia that you won't be able to join in the group study today because you suffered some wounds."_

" _Wait, no! I want to review for the exams with you two as well! These are just simple wounds, I can take them! So can you please put me down, Ise-kun?"_

" _Simple or not, you still suffered some wounds. Now keep quiet so I can carry you easily and quickly. You're house is just over there near the next block, so this will be quick."_

My heart stopped after his words, and I didn't even know why. Was it because he was being chivalrous? He looked hot while saying those words? He tried to be the hero? Damn it, what the hell was it? And why was I blushing madly? Was I embarrassed? I'm not quite sure, but I did learn one thing at the end of that day… and it took me years to finally realize the truth.

I realized that I had feelings for my best friend, Issei Hyoudou.

I still can't believe that it took about two years for me to just realize what I really felt for him. Although we weren't dating at the moment, I know that he also feels the same way towards me and I was satisfied with that. I can wait for a few more months before he'll finally be allowed to date me; I know that it's going to be awkward for him to go after both me and Xenovia at the same time, but we'll be there to support him. Ise-kun always helped me whenever I need help, so now it's only fitting that I help in what he's doing.

Because… I always want to see him smile.

I don't want to see him down with either himself or for any other reason. It's not just because I owe him big time, it's because I am serious with what I feel for him.

I mean, giving a guy your first kiss is supposed to mean that you're serious about him, right? I gave him mine when I confessed what I felt for him when I was 13, and since then, our relationship has only deepened to the point that I was fine with Xenovia dating him even though I'm supposed to be the only one in his heart.

Heh, maybe I realized that his heart was just too big and too welcoming for one girl to have it all to myself.

But I don't really care.

As long as I know that Issei loves me, and if no other girl will hog him to himself. The only thing I would not tolerate is selfishness, by the way. Xenovia's not the kind of girl to be like that and I know it, that's why I'm fine with the topic of her and Issei dating.

It was a _really_ good thing Papa and Mama were all right with the topic of Issei being my boyfriend; at the same time, Aunt Kazumi and Uncle Taiji were also fine if we dated after middle school. It looked like they were observant enough to notice that we looked better together? Or is it because we look cute together, like what Papa always says?

But enough about that.

I want to talk about how I'm going to "Congratulations" or "I'm proud of you" to him when the band becomes famous one day. Music has always been one of Issei's talents, more specifically, singing.

I don't know how to explain it, but every time he goes up to a stage to sing in every competition he's joined in, I feel like he's going to take my breath away with what he's going to perform. You could say that I'm like his die-hard fangirl, but I'm not really crazy to stalk him around like what others do. I see myself as a fan of him when he's singing and not as his future gilfriend, because I feel like he is at his happiest whenever he gets to sing in front of many people.

Now, imagine his happiness when he gets to perform in front of thousands of people live and in another country. I'd say he'll be as happy as the Apostles when they received the Holy Spirit from the Lord! I want to see Issei smile, because his expression of happiness has made its place in my mind many years ago that I can't stop thinking about him now, and that it led to me having feelings for him.

Although he wants to see me smile first before him, I don't care. As his future girlfriend, I will make him happy as well; he's done nothing but keep me happy and safe throughout the beginning of my life in Japan. He's always by my side even when I didn't expect him to be, it's like he knows me very well to find out when I was feeling uncomfortable or not.

I don't care even if other girls fall for him.

Because like what he wanted to happen with me, I want him to be happy as well. I want him to feel that it's not all about me.

Yes, I'll be the first to congratulate him when DxD becomes a worldwide sensation. I'll be the first to step up and kiss him deeply when him, Vali-kun and Yuuto-kun are finally a global phenomenon. I'll be the first to cheer him on when he performs on the big stage and sings his heart out for everyone watching live or in their homes on their TV screens.

And when the three of them go backstage where me, Xenovia, Mr. Azazel, Ray-chan, Koneko-chan and Kuroka-san are waiting, I'll be clapping my hands the loudest for them. They deserve it as a fruit of their hard work, but especially for Issei.

In just a few months time, we can finally start dating and make our relationship official. At the same time, he's going to be performing their first ever song with Vali-kun and Yuuto-kun.

And when that happens, I'll be sitting in the front row to get the first-hand experience of a band being in front of my very eyes.

Because I want him to be happy.

Because I want to be a part of whatever made him like that.

Because I love Issei Hyoudou.

And lastly, it's because I know that DxD _will_ make its mark in the world of music someday.

When that day comes, I'll be standing by Issei's side not only as his girlfriend, nor as a best friend, not even as a fan.

I'll be with him like a light shining down from above to guide and watch over him along the way. I'll be with him just like how he has been there for me when I needed somebody to lean on.

" _The truth is… you mean more to me than you could ever know. You're not just a friend to me. You're… you're… you're the boy that I've fallen for…"_

I'll be like his very own guardian angel.

" _I love you, Ise-kun."_

And we both agree on that.

" _I know that you love me, I'm sure of it… I'm sure of it as much as I love you too."_

Lord, thank you for giving the chance to meet Issei! Because of him, I was able to see that Japan wasn't as bad as it looked like. Because of him, I found someone to love. Amen!

* * *

 _ **Next chapter, we'll go back to the main story. Expect more Interlude chapters like this for the characters' backstory and how they came to be before they made their debut in this fic.**_

 _ **Discord link: [discord . gg / TGPM9pH]**_

 _ **Leave a kind review if you can! Ask any question you want to ask and I will answer them!**_

 _ **Goodbye... and good night! BANG! *too sweet gesture***_

 _ **-Lance**_


	6. Life 04: Change of Plans

"Normal Talking"

'Thoughts'

 _Flashbacks_

 **"Talking through microphone" / Actions**

 _ **Disclaimer: I don't own Highschool DxD or any of its characters… I also don't own the song mentioned here.**_

* * *

"What are you planning to do tomorrow, Ise-kun?" asked Irina as she walked alongside her childhood friend and his sister towards Azazel's house. It was an early Saturday morning and Issei was on his way for band practice; honestly, he was supposed to be unable to attend for today since he was supposed to bring Ddraig to the vet for his monthly check-up, but his parents just told him he could do it on Sunday because this seemed like an important day for the band itself.

"You mean after I take Ddraig to the vet?" Issei replied in his usual calm voice, and Irina nodded with a cute smile. "I'll probably just spend the rest of the day at home on my bed," he shrugged.

"I see… well, do you want to come with me to the theater then?" she said bashfully, trying to sound that she was pleading to his ears, which caused the boy to look at her in surprise; in all the years that they have spent together, going to the theater together was something that they haven't done even if Xenovia was either with them or not, and hearing this from he was surprising.

"Um, sure…" he answered, unsure of what should be his response although he could be seen blushing because what Irina said would naturally mean that they were going to be on a date, like a real couple. "Why the theater, though? Something interesting to watch there?"

"Well, you see I, uh… I have two tickets for the premiere showing of 'Wolf Children' and I wanted to see it with you! If only you would want to come and watch with me, of course… I-I won't force you if you don't want to watch."

"Shouldn't you be asking Xenovia to come with you instead?" he retorted, raising an eyebrow in confusion. "I mean, it's pretty obvious why you would want to watch with me but you and Xenovia are basically sisters in terms of doing things. Get what I'm trying to say?"

"I know and believe me, I'd go with her instead so I won't be getting in the way of DxD-related business… but sadly, Xenovia's not going to be with us for this weekend like right now…" she pointed out, reminding her childhood friend that the bluenette wasn't with them on their way towards Azazel's house for band practice. It was almost a known act as of now that he regularly attended band practice with Koneko, Irina and Xenovia that it could be mistaken that the three girls were a part of DxD themselves or they could be residents of Azazel's residence due to how frequently they went there despite supposedly having no business there whatsoever.

"Oh, that's right… Xenovia's not here with us…" he muttered, looking around to view his surroundings and his other childhood friend who developed a crush on him was indeed missing. "Why, though?" he asked, wondering what could have happened with her that made her miss today's practice.

"From what Aunt Griselda told me when I went to their apartment earlier, Xenovia was going to serve in the church for the weekend and I also saw her already dressed up for it. She told me to say sorry to you for her because she won't be able to come with you to practice, and that's the whole story." she explained and Issei slowly nodded in response.

"So, it's pretty much only the two of us? Like a date?" as he said those words, Irina blushed deeply and looked to the side before she nodded slightly. It was quite a pleasant sight to see that she usually is the more active one when it comes to romance, yet she gets embarrassed easily whenever Issei makes his move.

"I guess so…" she mumbled, shrugging her shoulders as an added response.

"Okay, then I guess I'll see you —" he stopped himself from talking any further when felt that Koneko suddenly tightened her grip on his shirt from his right side.

"You're not allowed to date until you finish middle-school, Onii-chan…" Koneko reminded him in her usual emotionless tone as she ate through her sweets.

"Oh, Koneko-chan has nothing to worry about!" Irina exclaimed, doing a complete 180. "It just looks like a date, but it's not really one! Me and Ise-kun are just going to watch a movie, nothing more! I would like to invite you as well Koneko-chan, but sadly, I only have two tickets with me… if you want to, I can ask Papa to lend me some money to buy you one too! What do you say?" she suggested, smiling brightly at Issei's sister.

"It's fine," she responded with a small smile before turning her attention back to the street that they were walking through. "As long as no funny business happens between you and Onii-chan, you two can enjoy whatever you're watching."

"Heehee, thank you for understanding, Koneko-chan!" the twin-tailed girl finished as she turned her head to look at Issei once more. "So, what time do you want to watch the movie, Ise-kun?"

"Maybe after I take Ddraig to the vet, which will probably happen after I have breakfast. So, I guess I'll see you around two o'clock then?" he asked with a smirk.

"You're on!" Irina threw him a determined expression, hugging his arm possessively and sandwiching it between her two breasts, and he only chuckled in reply. "Just don't be late, got it? If you even go past five minutes and I'm already there, I'm having all the popcorn all to myself." she continued with a victorious smile, prompting the boy to give her a confused look.

"Hey, hey, don't you think that's going too far?"

The three young teenagers continued on their way to their destination, having a nice and decent chat about movies along the way. It has been two months since Issei joined DxD and so far, this decision of his has had a positive influence in his daily life; sure, he needed to balance both his grades in school and his band life, but he managed to make the latter to serve as his inspiration in order to keep his academics afloat. If he had to be honest, it was tough in trying to do so because he was in his final year before he'll graduate and move up to high school, but as long as he had no failing grades in any of his subjects, he had nothing to fear from his parents.

Interestingly enough, a week after he met Yuuto, he found out that Kiba was studying in the same school only they were in different classes. From that point, the two ate together during lunch and they would practice their upcoming song as well as talking like good old friends, before they would go back to their own classrooms to finish the day before they'd go to the black apartment for band practice. Throughout the weeks that they spent together, Kiba was like his reliable best friend/brother in school but would turn into a spectator/innocent bystander once DxD-related stuff settles in.

Because Yuuto just loved to chuckle or make sarcastic comments about him whenever his antics go out of hand.

As for Vali, he was supposed to tell everyone [Issei, Yuuto, Xenovia, Irina, Ray, Koneko] more about himself last month, specifically after he lost in a Mortal Kombat fight against Issei after band practice , despite Kuroka's loud cheering for him. But apparently, he didn't want to and left the house with his head down, not wanting anyone to see his face. Kuroka caught up to him before he could leave the place, and frowned slightly at everyone in the living room before the two finally left.

While everybody else was left speechless at what just happened, Issei loudly announced to all of them that the best possible solution to the problem would be just to leave them alone for a good while, because there was clearly something going on with them, but they didn't want to discuss about it.

Although reluctant, they agreed to lay off of Vali and Kuroka's personal lives because it seemed like it was the most appropriate decision to make.

And then the next day, it was almost as if nothing happened between them.

* * *

"Yo, this is a bit different for once, Ise-kun…" said Ray as she opened the door a bit more as soon as she saw Issei was the one who just knocked. "Come on in, I made some hot chocolate for everyone, actually." she beckoned with her hand, leading Issei and the two girls with him inside of the house as they sat on one of the couches, while Ray went to the kitchen to get some drinks for them.

Irina turned to look at Issei and was about to say something when she noticed that he was smiling quite dreamily while staring at Ray even though she was by the kitchen. The twin-tailed girl tapped her chin with her finger; from what she noticed between Issei and Ray for the past months, the two have gotten closer due to her love for video games and somewhat infecting Issei with it, causing her to get added to the boy's friend list. And yet, even if they are indeed friends, she couldn't hang out with him on a personal level like her and Xenovia which is something that is quite strange. If anyone knew Issei better than anyone, maybe except his family, it would definitely be Irina and this looked like something she had to solve.

'Hmm, Ray-chan is friends with Ise-kun, Xenovia, and me… but there's something holding her back from hanging out with us. I wonder what it is…' she thought to herself as she watched Issei closely.

"Hmm? What's wrong, Irina? You look like you were staring at me…" Issei said when he turned his head to look at his sister that he noticed Irina's gaze was on him.

"N-Nothing! I just thought there was something just behind your ear!" she lied, flashing a fake smile which seemed to be enough to convince him.

"Okay…" he muttered, turning his attention back to the kitchen where the black-haired girl was, only to see that she was already on her way back to the living room with 3 cups of hot chocolate on a tray.

"So, I noticed that Xenovia-san isn't with you today…" Ray continued as she handed their drinks before she sat down on one of the opposite couches herself before she got her DS from the small table in front of her and started to play. "Did something happen to her? You usually go here with her along."

"She has church service for today and tomorrow, so… yeah, she's not here." Irina replied, looking disappointed that her blue-haired friend wasn't able to be with them for the day.

"Oh, I see… that sucks because I kind of like that girl…" Ray said with a chuckle. "Well, I wonder how Vali-kun would react to this because you both know that he loves to fight against Xenovia-san and vice versa. In fact, the backyard is open for them anytime!"

"Yeah, I know!" he exclaimed, joining in the comedy.

Like what he said months ago, Vali took an interest in fighting Xenovia because in every moment that she shows up at the house, the silver-haired boy would invite her for a quick, two-minute spar in the backyard to let loose for a little bit. Both seemed to be interested in MMA because they use different styles in fighting instead of sticking to only one; Xenovia always manages to impress the audience [Issei, Irina, Ray, Azazel, Yuuto, Koneko] by holding her own in a fight against a guy, which earned her Vali's respect, and that was something that doesn't happen quite often.

Although Irina tried many times to try and lead her friend out of this habit since it might lead to her getting hurt, Vali's rivalry with the bluenette continued despite that and it's now a regular thing to happen almost everyday. Azazel even joked that he'll buy protective gear for the two of them once he "gets" his money back.

"I wonder how will he react to that then…" Irina remarked, smirking slightly as she sipped on her hot chocolate. "Well, at least Xenovia not being able to be here did some good… I won't get worried about her safety for now."

"Okay, but that doesn't mean it's gone for good, Irina-san!" Ray teased, winking playfully at the chestnut-haired girl. "Since it's just for this weekend, Xenovia will be back on Monday and you'll be dealing with this problem again…"

"Don't remind me…" Irina sighed, coming to terms with the fact that she was going to have to try and stop Xenovia from her spars with Vali when Monday comes, which is something that annoyed her greatly.

It was confusing to know which between the two does Xenovia prioritize more; the church and her duties, or her love for fighting and becoming stronger?

"Yuuma-oneesan, I have something to ask you." came the soft voice of Koneko Toujou as she stopped eating her sweets for a brief moment to look at the black-haired teen.

"Urgh, you're lucky you're just a little kid…" Ray groaned, pausing the game she was playing so she could turn her attention to the young girl. "I'll only allow you to call me that because you're just a kid, but I'm not taking excuses when you grow older… so what do you want to ask me?"

"Where is Azazel-san? I don't see him around here," she stated, looking around her for a few seconds to double check if the black-haired man was already here with them.

"Ah, well that old fellow is still in his room, sleeping…" she pointed towards Azazel's bedroom, which was located next to hers up at the second floor. "He told me to come wake him up once the big three have arrived. Well, since it's only Ise-kun here at the moment, don't expect him to wake up anytime soon. Unless of course, Vali-kun and Kiba-kun show up for band practice but you're fifteen minutes earlier than the usual time you reach this place."

"Ah, Ray-chan?" Irina called out, trying to gain her friend's attention. As soon as she saw Ray turn to look at her, she continued speaking. "Since Vali-kun and Yuuto-kun still aren't here, can we talk in private?" she asked.

"Sure, I'm dominating in this game anyway… and it's getting kind of boring," she shrugged, leaving her DS on the table before and stood up from her seat before she followed the twin-tailed girl towards the guest bedroom (Vali's private bedroom).

"Wonder what those two would be talking about…" Issei said as he pulled out his phone and started to play some apps that Ray recommended for him. "Hmm, should I go find out and listen to the door? I don't know why, but I think I'm — Ow!" he screeched out in pain when he felt Koneko pull on his ear.

"Eavesdropping is bad, onii-chan." she said as if it was the most obvious thing in the world, causing Issei to sigh in annoyance at his sister's strict nature.

Meanwhile, inside the guest room, Irina led Ray to sit on the bed as the latter crossed her arms in confusion. She was a bit curious about what Irina would want to talk about, yet the chestnut-haired beauty looked like she was hesitant to say something.

"So? What do you want to talk about?" she asked, trying to help Irina start a conversation.

"Is there something going on between you and Ise-kun?" she asked with a nervous look, before Ray had an eyebrow up in confusion. "I don't mean it in a romantic way, well… be-because Ise-kun is mine, but I mean if there is something wrong with you two! We're supposed to be friends, but… I feel like there's something that's stopping you from hanging out with us completely. But, if you don't feel like talking about it, I can understand."

"Wow, you have no problem with claiming Ise-kun as yours, huh?" Ray teased, completely overlooking what Irina just said. "This is unlike you since you get embarrassed easily, if I give my opinion on it…"

"This is serious, Ray-chan." Irina stated firmly, preventing herself from getting embarrassed. "Is there something bothering you about me? About Ise-kun? Anyone?"

"All right, fine…" she answered, rolling her eyes. "I'm going to be honest, there _is_ a problem but… it's not that much of a big deal for me, but it's personal. It's not that I don't want to hang out with you, Ise-kun, Xenovia-san, or even Koneko-chan… but there's something that's holding me back from putting down my DS and step outside of the house."

"Are you having a crush on Ise-kun?" the twin-tailed girl suggested with a slight frown, just curious with what Ray was talking about.

"No, what makes you think of that?" Now, the question had been redirected towards Irina.

She grinned nervously. "Well, I've seen you act towards Ise-kun and you like teasing him and not to mention the fact that whenever we go here, you look happier when you see him. And there are probably a lot more signs that could suggest it, but I think those are enough to prove my point."

All of a sudden, Ray began to giggle heartily before it eventually evolved into full-blown laughter as she rolled all around the bed just to satisfy the humor she felt, while Irina only sweat-dropped at her.

"Oh, I never thought you would be so observant, Irina-san!" she exclaimed with a few tears of joy escaping her eyes. "Are you really _that_ into him to keep note of everything that's happening around him? You'd be the perfect wife for someone like Ise-kun then! I'm proud of you, by the way." she added by patting Irina on the back gently.

"Can we please get back to the question I asked you, Ray-chan?" said Irina, trying not to sound annoyed because she was nearing to the point that she'd blow a fuse.

"All right, all right! Geez, you're no fun Irina-san!" she tried to protest, but Irina didn't even change her expression. "To answer your question, I'm not attracted to Ise-kun. Well, not yet at least…" she revealed, causing her friend's eyes to widen. "Okay, I admit… he's got the looks, personality, and even the talent to prove himself, but I just don't feel like making a move anytime soon."

"Why?" asked Irina. "Because of me? Did you think I would be angry?"

"Don't make me laugh, but I wasn't thinking of what would be your reaction if I did like Ise-kun in that way." she retorted, sticking her tongue out at the chestnut-haired beauty, causing her to pout. "And even if I did, I know that you won't really be angry with me since Xenovia is already in line before me."

Irina cleared her throat. "Are you forgetting that it was me who decided whether Xenovia can be with Ise-kun or not?" she asked suspiciously.

"I haven't." she shrugged her shoulders before continuing in her words. "My point is that I didn't care about what your reaction would be at first. I chose not to try and get closer with you or Ise-kun because I wanted to know what it feels like and if it leads to a happy ending in your life."

"And what does that mean?"

"This whole 'harem' thing you have with Ise-kun and Xenovia-san? This is the first time I've seen it and I'm curious about it… wasn't it the issue with multiple wives that's the more common reason for couples to get separated? Shouldn't you be making sure that Xenovia-san won't win against you? Shouldn't you be fighting for Ise-kun's affections? But since that it obviously doesn't apply to you since you're friends with Xenovia-san and you're pretty fine with it, that's a bit strange coming from me, because I rarely see harems wherever I go."

"And you're feeling uncomfortable because of Ise-kun being with two girls at the same time that you don't want to be near him?"

"In a romantic way, yeah… that's basically it. All the boys I've dated before are either single or just plain looking for someone to fuck, and this makes the whole situation different than before, yet interesting at the same time. I don't want to be too attached to him before I even get a chance to see where this harem situation goes. Will it end in a happy way or not? And it is, would I be willing to be a part of it?"

"Oh, I get it now… thank you for sharing it with me, Ray-chan!" she exclaimed before she pouted cutely. "But please don't act like you don't ever want to be with us again… I seriously that something bad happened between you and Ise-kun and you just pretended to still like him."

Ray giggled and winked.

"No promises."

And then the sound of someone knocking on the front door came, cutting the two off from their conversation.

* * *

 **KNOCK! KNOCK! KNOCK!**

Since Irina and Ray were discussing _something_ in private in the guest bedroom, Issei had no choice but to leave his phone behind as he stood up from the couch, before he headed towards the door to check who just came to the house, also inwardly hoping that it would be one of the band members that just arrived.

"Can I play with your phone, onii-chan?" Koneko asked, turning her attention from watching television for the first time since earlier and focusing it on her brother's personal gadget.

"No," Issei said simply, as it annoyed him everytime Koneko wanted to use his phone, it would always end up in the most of his memory getting deleted.

Choosing to ignore his sister's responses to his decision, Issei proceeded to open the door, and Vali was standing in front of him with Kuroka [not surprisingly anymore] sitting on his shoulders. The look on the his rival's face meant that he was genuinely bored at the moment, while Kuroka was feeling happy while playing with his silver hair like always.

"You're a bit late," Issei smirked. It was a rare sight for Vali to be late for practice, and this was only the second time for the past months.

"Try putting yourself in my shoes, Hyoudou…" Vali spoke out before the girl riding on him jumped off his shoulders as the both of them went inside, with Issei closing the door afterwards.

"What do you mean? Something interesting happened with you?" the brunette asked, slightly intrigued with what could have possibly made Vali complain like this.

"Tch. Like you could ever understand… I had to go back and forth between the nearest convenience store and my house about three times earlier because I forgot to buy the groceries for this month. Luckily, Kuroka was done in locking up her apartment space when I came back for the second time, though."

"Of course! I'd never leave Vali-kun behind when he needs me the most!" she exclaimed, wrapping her arms around her crush, pressing her enormous mounds to his back, and Vali could be seen faintly blushing because of what she did. Normally, he wouldn't mind whatever kind of antic that Kuroka would throw on him, but even the toughest guy in the world can't pass through a feel of a girl's chest on his back _without_ getting embarrassed.

"Yeah right, I doubt you could've been done with it if _she_ wasn't along…" Issei smirked at him.

"Watch your tone, Hyoudou…" Vali growled, narrowing his eyes at his rival. "I'm stressed right now because of the groceries that I needed to buy earlier, and I need to let my frustrations out one way or another. You wouldn't want me to unleash that anger out on you, wouldn't you?"

"I'd like to see you try, punk." Issei scoffed, not wanting to get intimidated by his fellow bandmate.

"You're not worth my time," Vali retorted with a smirk of his own. "Besides, I have something else to do at the moment. I still have to have my daily —" before he could say anything else, a familiar voice made its way through the entire room, catching everyone's attention.

"Oh, you're the one who just knocked on the front door, Vali-kun?" Irina asked rhetorically with a smile on her face as her and Ray stepped out of the guest bedroom, closing the door afterwards. "Ah, Kuroka-chan! You look as cute as a cat like always!" she complimented the girl behind Vali, referring to the cat-ears headband she wore.

"Irina Shidou, just the person I was looking for…" Vali said, pushing Issei to the side so that nothing was between him and the twin-tailed girl. "Where is Xenovia? I am aiming to release some stress and I figured that the best way to do that is through our daily sparring."

The girl started to slowly grin in nervousness. "Um, Xenovia is not here today… she had to serve the church for the weekend, so we'll most likely see her again this Monday."

 **FLICK!**

A switch then went off; Vali was on all fours and he was facing the ground, while bright light coming from above shined down upon him as if he was being taken by Heaven. _**(A/N: Imagine Saji and Issei's reactions when they met Gasper for the first time.)**_

"No," he said in a tone of disbelief. "There's no way this can be happening. I can't be left with Hyoudou without even fighting Xenovia…"

Issei sweat-dropped as he watched his rival expressing his emotions for what seemed like the first time ever. 'Is he really that upset just because his sparring partner didn't show up today?' he thought to himself.

"Oh, Vali-kun!" Kuroka cried out with anime tears streaming down her eyes as she patted Vali's shoulded in comfort. "Don't worry! I'm here for you! I'll make you feel better! Forget about Xenovia-san and focus on other things instead! Like me…" she muttered in the end.

Ray and Irina sweat-dropped as well, while Koneko looked like she didn't give a shit about what's happening because she just kept on eating her sweets like an innocent girl.

'At least Kiba-kun/Yuuto-kun is not this dramatic…' both girls thought at the same time.

The door then opened with a bang, catching everyone off guard that their attention was directly paid towards whoever threw the door open.

Yuuto Kiba walked inside of the house, his bangs shadowing his eyes and he looked like he just came out of a haunted house. Everyone stared at him in shock due to the fact that he never looked and acted like this during the past months while he was practicing with the band. He either had the same old 'pretty-boy' smile on his face or the 'sarcastic-much' expression, but this was completely new.

"Kiba," Issei tried to call out. "Dude, what's going on? What's with that face?" he tried asking.

The blonde boy continued walking until he reached the others, stopping just in front of them with his face still hidden from everyone. The tension inside the room grew larger and larger with every passing moment and it didn't look like it was going to stop.

Until he finally spoke after what seemed like an eternity.

"I got… I got…" he began.

Everyone's eyes started to widen.

"I got detention yesterday."

"HUH?!" Everyone was flabbergasted with what he just said. Was he… seriously overreacting?!

 **FLICK!**

A switch was flicked open; Kiba dropped on all fours and light shone down upon him, just like what happened with Vali earlier. By this time, everyone (including the emotionless Koneko) sweat-dropped and their mouths were hanging in shock at seeing the blonde boy act completely out of himself.

"No. This can't be happening… my grades… they were all perfect…" he muttered, completely mirroring exactly what happened with Vali earlier.

'I have a feeling that this would be a really complicated day…' Issei thought to himself as he felt his soul temporarily leave his body out of shock that Kiba wasn't as completely gentle and innocent as they thought.

Meanwhile, a certain black-haired man with a recognizable goatee was watching all of the teens' mishaps and antics from the second floor, silently laughing to himself.

'Yup, they'll be the life of Grigori once I open up those doors again…' Azazel thought to himself. 'Teenagers these days… I remember the times I spent with Sirzechs, Michael, Falbium, and Ajuka just by looking at them. I promise you all, things will become better from now on… this band will make its mark on the world.'

* * *

"I need to talk to you three before we head proceed with today's practice," said Azazel as he looked at the three current members of DxD who were sitting on the couch.

The girls were sitting on another couch, watching what was happening between the four men and listening to every bit of it even though they weren't a part of the band. In the midst of their antics and silliness earlier, Azazel appeared out of nowhere and made no attempt to hide his humor after witnessing everything that happened between the young teenagers that put them all in the same state of embarrassment in front of an older man. Even so, Azazel just let it be while saying that teens gotta act like teens all the time.

"Why? Is something wrong?" Issei asked, immediately getting the first impression that came to his mind and how it could be resolved at once.

"I figured that this would be something that you should know by now, but you can't call yourselves a band if there are only three of you. Yes, we do have Issei as the vocalist, Vali as the lead guitarist, and Yuuto as our drummer… but a band is not complete without its keyboardist or bassist. Either of the two."

At those words, the three bandmates started looking at one another for a few moments before Vali eventually spoke, raising an eyebrow in curiosity. "So this means —" he tried to say, but Azazel cut him off before he could even finish his sentence.

"Yes, a new member will eventually join the three of you, but don't worry about that issue. I'm going to take care of it myself and find the last one through auditions once again, and when somebody gets the remaining position, you can meet him afterwards. Is that clear with you three?" he asked them.

All three boys nodded in response, although Vali could be heard mumbling about how he didn't want another idiotic "Hyoudou" to deal with, which only caused the girl to giggle to themselves, especially Kuroka.

"Now, to the second thing I want to talk to you three about…" he continued on before he took a green envelope from inside the nearby drawer and took out three pieces of paper, which seemed to be the lyrics for a song. "Take one of these." he said, and the three teenagers each took one of those before they looked at their copies.

"What is this for?" Yuuto asked, showing his copy to Azazel, which were indeed the lyrics for a song written in Romaji.

Azazel sighed and massaged his forehead with his fingers. "Look, I'm sorry about this okay? I know that during the past three months, you three have been practicing the English version of Demons… but there's been a change of plans. You'll be practicing the Japanese dub instead from now on, until your first performance."

"WHAT?!" the three asked incredulously, looking both angry and confused at the same time, which was something that Azazel was already expecting them to answer back.

'And here comes the bombardment of questions…' he internally groaned before he prepared himself for the worst.

"Does this mean all the hard work we've done for three whole months was for nothing at all?!" Issei screamed, losing his control because he was so focused in perfecting his voice to sing the English version, and now a Japanese dub suddenly shows out of nowhere.

"Why do we need to have a Japanese cover when we already have the English one practiced and memorized?" Vali asked, taking a deep breath in order to try and calm himself.

"Are we supposed to just forget the version we've been practicing lately? Or are we going to perform two songs from now on?" Kiba asked calmly, although he did have a slight frown on his face.

"Okay, that's enough!" the older man snapped, sending a glare to the three boys that had them shut up in their place. "I'll answer your questions one by one, but please do your best to be quiet, because I definitely can't explain things when there's another person besides me that's also babbling his mouth."

Vali, Yuuto, and Issei all nodded in affirmation, calming down in their seats.

"First off, to answer both your questions, Issei and Yuuto…" he looked at the two boys he just mentioned. "No, your hard work to practice the English version wasn't wasted. Because what Yuuto guessed was correct. There will be two versions of Demons starting now, the English one and the Japanese one. Since we've already started working on the English version, I just showed you all the copy of the other version and it's up to you on what you want to practice first. But the main point here is, those two songs are going to be performed separately after everything is ready."

"But why would you need a Japanese cover when we already have an English one, Azazel?" Vali grumbled, still waiting for an answer go his question.

"Okay, regarding that. Well, I'm not planning to book a flight to England or even the United States just to release an English song, do you get what I'm trying to say?"

The silver-haired boy thought about it for a moment before he shook his head in denial.

"Okay, let me rephrase that then." he cleared his throat to restart his whole explanation. "Well, since we _are_ in Japan, why would we release a song with the lyrics mostly recognizable and can be read by western people? The point is, we have to work on a song that will build up the band's reputation in your home country first. Because I think you know that it's hard to become popular in your own homeland, much less the whole world. Topping the world's music charts and getting millions of sales is a dream of every band, but it's only a mere miracle for us Japanese. You'd have to compete with the Beatles, Queen, Coldplay, Bee Gees, and many others. So don't come at me with silly excuses just to lessen your work."

"I get it, you're saying that you want us to do the Japanese version because it would be a headstart for the band if we get a lot of reactions from our fans here once we step into the real world and it would gain us more fans at a faster rate. And by real world, I meant the international scene. Am I right?" Issei asked, cocking an eyebrow up in curiosity.

"Issei's right, that's why I would recommend the three of you to forget about the version you're practicing at the moment momentarily, and turn to the Japanese one. It'll be easier to sing, but it's your call."

Silence took over for a few moments, and it looked like tension was building up inside the whole house once again. Azazel was right, though; if they could first build up their reputation and popularity in Japan before they step into international waters, so that they would earn solid fans behind their back. Yet on the other hand, they have already worked on a lot of things with the English dub of Demons, including vocalization, proper timing of beats, tuning, and the tabs needed. It looked like a 50/50 situation with the chances of getting favor being Azazel's solution, and it stayed that way until somebody finally spoke up to break the long silence.

"Well, since my life's becoming a lot more interesting ever since I joined this band…" Issei began, taking a deep breath before he slightly smiled. "I want to keep going and give this my all. I've met new friends the moment I tried out for the auditions and I've gotten closer with my childhood friends and sister every time we go here for band practice. Because of this decision I made, I've become even better in singing than before and I want it to continue being that way."

Irina smiled brightly at her crush becoming honest with his feelings for what seemed like the first time ever since he confessed what he felt towards her years ago. 'Oh, Xenovia… if only you were also here right now…' she thought to herself, missing the presence of her best friend although it hasn't been a day yet that she didn't show up.

"I think… I want to see where this will end up… and to be honest, I won't mind working my butt off for the sake of this band's future. I haven't been this invested in singing ever since the last time I joined a competition, and that was years ago. I chose to be a part of this, and I will continue to support DxD in whatever way I can. I want to make my parents proud, and I want to show that I can be a part of something bigger than myself."

Azazel was left staring at Issei blankly before Yuuto stood up with a gentle smile on his face, and catching the older man's attention in the process.

"If Ise-kun says that he wants to continue on with your plan, Azazel, then as will I." he stated. "What kind of son would I be if I am not taking this seriously. Onii-sama personally talked to okaa-sama and otou-sama about what I am doing while I am a part of this band and somehow persuaded them to let me join all of you and I'm not going to let this stand by and let onii-sama work so hard for my sake without even doing anything to make up for what he's done, whether if you were friends with him or not. Onee-sama is also counting on me to bring prestige and honor to our family by becoming a part of this band to prove to people that we are not just all about business. I'm sure that we can take whatever changes that are made, which includes what language we'll be using when we finally sing."

After Kiba's whole explanation, all eyes were turned towards Vali immediately, and he seemed to know its presence since he sighed in defeat and crossed his arms.

"I guess it's too late for me to make any second choices. Throw whatever you want at me, I can take it…" he grumbled, averting his gaze to the side. "Besides, just by being a part of a band alone causes problems for the members and if I waver, it'll make me look weak. I'll memorize this Japanese version in less than a week, you'll see… I'm going to add some additional chords then, if this is the case…" he simply answered, trying to sound neutral yet convincing at the same time.

"Very well," Azazel said after a brief moment of silence, chuckling to himself as well. "We'll be focusing on the Japanese version then… who knew that you three could stand together against the same opponent? Especially after what I've noticed from the two of you, when you're supposed to be rivals at each other's throats… you have such wonderful chemistry together!" he exclaimed out loud, causing everybody else to laugh except for the two boys that were involved.

"Hell no! I'd rather die a single guy than work together with this moron!" Issei screamed out, flashing a look of disgust on his face while he stared at Azazel.

"Yeah, I'd rather do a— wait, what the heck did you just say?! Are you that desperate for another beating, Hyoudou?! Maybe I should give you a crash course in who's stronger between the two of us…" Vali said, turning his attention from Azazel towards Issei, once again engaging in another one of their usual arguments.

"Bring it on, old man! Bring it on!" Issei growled, butting heads with his rival as they glared daggers at each other.

'These two just can't admit that they are actually friends behind those masks…' Azazel said to himself in slight humor.

* * *

The following day, Issei was walking through the busy streets of Kuoh, with Ddraig walking just beside him on a leash. True to his words yesterday, he was on his way to the vet for his dog's monthly checkup, because it would make him look like a bad owner if Ddraig becomes sick all of a sudden without even him noticing.

'Okay, practice yesterday wasn't all bad for a start of a new song…' he thought to himself, reminiscing back to the events the day before. 'So now, we have two songs we're gonna have to work on… that means we'll have to work a little bit harder than before so we can finish this version as soon as possible and start practicing the English one, which needs more attention, in my own opinion, since my English is mediocre as a whole… I'm leagues behind Xenovia…'

An image of Irina's smiling face appeared on his mind afterwards, and he smiled in return at remembering something that him and his first love talked about yesterday.

'Oh, that's right… I have to meet up with Irina later on and we'll be watching "Wolf's Children" at the theatre. I'll just have to hope that the vet for today, whoever it is, opens up early then… but I'm really wishing that Kitamura-sensei is on office today… that old man likes to crack up a joke even while he's doing a check-up and even if he's late most of the time.' he continued in his thoughts, thinking about his favorite vet in the veterinary clinic before he thought about Irina again, and this time, Xenovia had gotten in his thoughts as well. 'I can't wait for school to be over, though… I've made Irina wait for so long that we can barely hide what we feel for each other anymore. And then there's Xenovia too…'

At this point, he was lost in his own personal world and Ddraig was leading him around the entire place, suddenly becoming energized for some unknown reason.

'I can't believe I actually have a harem that's waiting for me when we graduate Wait, can this be even considered one? Only two girls, right? Hopefully, nobody else would join this boat ride… but if in case that someone does well, I guess it's too late for me to take back what I said, anyway… besides, Xenovia said that she really did have feelings for me so I guess we could work that out…'

His thoughts then drifted to his bandmates, Vali and Yuuto, and thought about their individual selves based on how they have gotten to know each other for three months.

'Kiba is a friendly dude and we get along well in school, but I have to know him better if we want to make DxD better as a whole. So far, only Azazel knows him at a personal level because he says he's friends with Kiba's brother or something… Vali on the other hand, out of everyone inside Ray's home, Kuroka is the only one he trusts completely from how I see it… even though he seems to treat Xenovia as a friend, he's never had a casual talk with her. I'll have to be — WOAH!' he finished out aloud when he suddenly felt himself getting pulled by an unknown force.

Drifting his attention back to reality, his eyes then widened when he noticed that he was literally getting pulled by Ddraig through the streets with incredible speed that his legs could give out at any moment. _**(A/N: Imagine a damn dog pulling you all the way through town even though you're holding the leash.)**_

"Ddraig! Slow down! What the hell's the matter with you?!" he screamed aloud to try and get his dog to stop, which didn't accomplish anything at all because it was as if the creature was chasing something it liked. "You stupid mutt, stop running!"

Issei didn't want to pull on the leash because he might physically harm Ddraig if he did so, and he simply had to try and stop his pet with words, even though it was unlikely.

Talk about a wild goose chase.

Luckily, it won't last long, but at a small price.

Or was it?

This whole 'chase' lasted for about a few minutes with Ddraig looking a bit lost because he was just plain running with no such destination that he wanted to go to, and it resulted in them simply going in circles around the whole town. Perhaps he didn't want to go to the vet today? Along the way, Issei did his best to try and warn people walking down the pathway that his dog took that him and his pet were just 'walking through'. He was doing a good job in doing just that until the moment that he got distracted when he saw what seemed to be Vali Lucifer on the other side of the road.

"V-Vali?" he mumbled to himself, completely unaware of what was in front of him.

"Watch out!"

He turned his attention back in front.

 **CRASH!**

It was too late.

He ended up hovering above the body of another person after the two stumbled on the ground due to Issei crashing, his hands just positioned on the sides of his/her head. Issei had his eyes closed out of fear and his head turned to the side since he just crashed into someone and he had no idea who it was, so the chances of him getting slapped or punched in the face increased but he didn't want such a thing to happen. Ddraig had surprisingly stopped running after seeing his owner down on the ground as well, before the brunette decided to speak.

"I'm sorry! I didn't mean to do that! Please don't hit me, I promise I'll do anything to make it up to you!" he immediately apologized before any misunderstanding could be created.

The sound of a girl who was giggling cutely followed afterwards, leading Issei to think that it was a girl whom he was on top of. The girl sounded like she was very young due to how she sounded, but she wasn't a kid.

"It's fine! We all make mistakes, anyway! And that was quite fun too! But…" she paused for a few seconds. "You'll have to get off of me if you don't want us to attract attention."

Her words made Issei feel like an idiot for not realizing it. "Oh, of course! Right sorry, my bad!" he quickly said before he went to the side, allowing the girl to get up from the ground. Figuring that it was the right time to open his eyes, he slowly did so but he kept his look on the ground to avoid looking at the girl directly. It was then that he had noticed a pink cap lying on the ground, and he assumed that it was the girl's, so he bent down and picked it up and handed it over to her without even looking as he closed his eyes again.

"Here, I assume this is yours… again, I'm sorry! I didn't mean to crash into you, it's just that my dog didn't want to stop running earlier! So… yeah…" he began to rub the back of his head in embarrassment.

She began to giggle cutely once more, causing Issei to get a little confused. "I already told you, it's fine! Hehehehehe, you're a weird guy… kinda like me, but that's based on what other people say about me. How nice it is to know that I am not alone! Wait, why are you closing your eyes? Is there something wrong with me? Do I look weird or something?"

Feeling that that was the go-ahead signal for him to open his eyes, he did so and looked at whoever that was in front of him. "No, it's not that! It's just that I'm not going to —!" his breath hitched and his heart stopped momentarily upon seeing who was just standing in front of him, someone whom he knew very well that surely, other people knew her too.

The girl was wearing a pink shirt and blue pants along with white rubber shoes. However, what made her truly recognizable was her face alone; she looked like she was in her early 20s and she also had beautiful pink eyes. Lastly, her hair was tied into twin-tails by pink ribbons which made her look exactly like a famous celebrity whom Issei knew very well.

"I-Is something the matter? You look a bit spaced out… do I look different or something? You're making me a bit nervous…" she asked, raising an eyebrow.

"N-N-No way! Y-Y-Y-You're… I can't believe it… you're actually standing in front of me right now… a real actress is standing in front of me… it's… Ms. Serafall Leviathan… she's standing just in front of me…" he said, almost unable to form any sentence out of disbelief.

"Oh, now I get why you looked like that for a second!" she exclaimed with a smile and giggled afterwards. "Well, to introduce myself for starters, I'm Serafall Sitri!" she made the peace sign with her right hand near her eye and stuck her tongue out in a playful way.

"But you can call me, Milky!"

* * *

 _ **Harem: Irina, Xenovia, Rossweisse, Ravel, Raynare, Asia, Serafall, Murayama, Katase, Koneko, Le Fay, Rias, Akeno**_

 _ **Potential Members: Sona, Tsubasa, Reya, Tomoe, Kiyome Abe, Kiryuu, Elmenhilde, Seekvaira, Ingvild, Kunou**_

 _ **Discord link: [discord . gg / TGPM9pH]**_

 _ **Leave a kind review if you can! Ask any question you want to ask and I will answer them!**_

 _ **Goodbye... and good night! BANG! *too sweet gesture***_

 _ **-Lance**_


End file.
